Dear Friend,
We are very thankful that you’re part of the Legal Momentum family. While the last few years have been challenging for all of us, we appreciate supporters like you who remained steadfast in your support for Legal Momentum and its critical mission. Thank you for everything you’ve done to improve the lives of women and girls throughout our country.
The end of the year is always a time for reflection. As we approach the end of 2022, we look back on what we’ve accomplished and where we still need to go. Legal Momentum is excited about the many strides we’ve made to advance women and the fight against gender discrimination. However, with the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the aftermath of COVID-19, and persistent rates of gender-based violence, we still have work to do. Now more than ever there is a vital need to challenge regressive laws that strip women of their bodily autonomy and economic security and to push forward advances that will increase gender equality.
We are at a critical juncture where we can make an impact and we know you remain invested in advancing the well-being of women and girls! This is the perfect time to re-affirm your commitment to our work. Please make a generous year-end contribution today. The impact of your gift will be far-reaching!
Your gift will help us build upon the significant advances towards gender equality that Legal Momentum made in 2022:
2022 Impact List
Passage of salary transparency laws in NYC and NYS: This year, Legal Momentum successfully led a collaborative initiative to enact groundbreaking pay transparency legislation in New York, including Local Law 32, which went into effect on November 1st in New York City. These bills, which have influenced similar legislation across the country, are changing the national landscape, ushering in an important shift towards pay equity for women and people of color.
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022: After 6 years of relentless advocacy at which Legal Momentum remained at the forefront, VAWA was finally reauthorized and signed into law, making critically needed enhancements and investments to serve the true needs of all survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
A Guide to Defamation for Survivors of Sexual Assault or Harassment: In response to the rise in retaliatory defamation lawsuits against survivors for speaking up, Legal Momentum has equipped survivors with information about their rights through our new guide and supported survivors by filing amicus, or “friend of the court,” briefs in important cases including Gottwald v. Sebert (a.k.a. Kesha) (New York) and Khan v. Yale University et al. (Connecticut).
Advocacy for inclusive gender equality: 2022 saw numerous threats to the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ community. Legal Momentum joined robust advocacy to challenge laws that sought to restrict athletic opportunity to transgender girls and to advance laws and caselaw that solidify the view that laws that protect against sex discrimination include protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Rights Now! Program: We concluded our sixth successful iteration of the program, bringing our total to 49 youth leaders equipped to impact gender equality in their communities and hundreds more youth trained on their rights.
And so much more! But there are still many more challenges to overcome and successes to build upon:
Goals for 2023
Protecting reproductive freedom: Performing nonconsensual drug tests of pregnant patients is a gateway for governmental intrusion into the lives and bodily autonomy of pregnant women and their families. This practice is happening in states across the political spectrum with little light shed on it. In 2023, we will expand this work into other states, representing more affected women and educating as many people as we can reach.
Advancing economic security for the most vulnerable women: In 2023, we will strengthen and enforce existing pay transparency laws, support similar legislation across the country, and advocate for broader protections for women in low-wage work, including increases to the minimum wage. We will build upon our critical educational tools to educate more women about their rights.
Equal access to education: Title IX’s promise of an education free from sex discrimination will only be fully realized by regulations and laws that hold it to that promise. We will continue our legislative and administrative advocacy and our impact litigation to ensure that in 2023 Title IX is implemented in a way that reflects all we have learned in the past 50 years and addresses the harmful gaps that persist.
Empowering youth leaders: Our 2023 Rights Now! program will focus on building the capacity of our youth leaders to get involved in policy advocacy and build confidence to be civil leaders for gender equality.
And so much more!
Your financial support will ensure that Legal Momentum achieves its goals for 2023 and continues its longstanding mission to break down gender inequality and protect women’s economic and physical security through our unrelenting work and programs focusing on our five areas of impact:
- Reproductive Justice
- Workplace Equality and Economic Empowerment
- Violence Against Women and Girls
- Equal Educational Opportunities
- Fairness in the Courts
Please give generously and accelerate our plans for 2023. And don’t forget about us in your planned giving. Join the Equal Rights Legacy Society or for other options best for your charitable investment goals, contact our team at cwilliams@legalmomentum.org. You can make a gift today by:
- Credit Card at www.legalmomentum.org/contribute
- Check to Legal Momentum, 32 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, NY 10004
- Transfer appreciated securities by contacting Ben Bernard at Bridgewater at bbernard@bridgewateradv.com
Happy Holidays,
Carol Baldwin Moody
President and CEO
P.S. Research shows that lifting up women and girls lifts up everyone.
