Kim Villanueva is president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the national feminist grassroots organization founded in 1966. She previously served multiple terms on the NOW and NOW PAC boards and chaired NOW's election committee from 2017 to 2022. Earlier she was president of the Illinois NOW chapter and spent nearly 40 years as communications director for the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.
Role at the time: President of the National Organization for Women, in a statement of support released by Higher Heights for America
Condemned
Statement summary
National Organization for Women president Kim Villanueva said NOW condemns the racist and misogynistic attacks on Black women serving in and running for public office, and that the group refuses to let the violence be normalized.
“NOW condemns the racist and misogynistic attacks targeting Black women serving in and running for public office.
Ignorant attempts at intimidation and dehumanization cannot and will not be ignored. We refuse to allow this violence to be normalized.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)WOMEN-LED ORGANIZATIONS STAND UNITED AGAINST RACIST AND MISOGYNISTIC ATTACKS ON BLACK WOMEN LEADERSSection "Organization and Leadership Statements of Support", statements from individual leaders
Why we used this label
The case's reference point is Laura Loomer's remarks about Angie Nixon and other Black women in politics. Villanueva says NOW condemns the racist and misogynistic attacks on Black women in public office and will not allow the violence to be normalized. Her statement speaks of attacks in general terms and appears in a release about Loomer's language, so we labeled it Condemned.
Laura Loomer used “ghetto” and a gendered slur for Angie Nixon and four other Black women, then defended the wording as describing Nixon’s conduct, race, and ideology. Critics across parties called the remarks racist, sexist, degrading, offensive, or vile.
