Extremist, violent actions and ideologies are front and center in the news. But this week’s guest, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, noticed that no one ever seems to mention how most of those extremist and violent actions are done by men. In this episode, Kim and Rose sit down with Miller-Idriss to talk about the connections between men, patriarchy, and ideological extremism, how patriarchy harms men, and what all of us can do about it.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak with the movers and shakers defining the feminist movement. Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or send a voice memo to feminismnow@now.org.

Guest:

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a Professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education at the American University in Washington, DC, where she is the founding director and chief vision officer of the pioneering Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL). She is a columnist for MS NOW with recent bylines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Politico, and more. Her most recent books include Man Up (Princeton University Press, 2025) and Hate in the Homeland (Princeton University Press, 2022).

Follow us on social media:

Find Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and find Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Find today’s guest, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, on Bluesky @milleridriss.bksy.social.

Today’s featured chapter is Central Phoenix Inez Casiano NOW, https://centralphoenixnow.org/, on Instagram @cpicnow, and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CPICNOW/

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

As ICE has carried out mass arrests and deportations in Minnesota, the people have not been sitting by. They have been following cars, blowing whistles, protesting, and buying groceries to feed their neighbors. In this episode, Kim and Rose talk with the Chapter President of Minnesota NOW about why ICE went to the state, what they hoped to accomplish–and what they got instead.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak about important issues with leaders working for justice. Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or send a voice memo to feminismnow@now.org.

Guest:

Renee Cardarelle is the Chapter President of Minnesota NOW. She has 20-plus years of experience in working on community building and social justice. She is a non-profit leader, a community building facilitator, a racial justice practitioner, an educator, and a lifelong learner. Besides her practical, lived education, Renee has a PhD in Public Service and Management from Hamline University, where she explores civic engagement and local government, and a Master’s degree in Social Responsibility from St. Cloud State University. She focuses on creating a world that is healthy, thriving, and healing. Renee was born, raised, and lives in the wonderful world of rural Minnesota.

Follow us on social media:

Find Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and find Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Today’s featured chapter is Minnesota NOW, https://www.facebook.com/minnesotanow/

A Note from Renee: Minnesota Immigrant Families need your help!

As the ICE/immigration crisis continues, families are losing their jobs, unable to go to work, and unable to leave their homes. New Hope for Immigrants has been helping new American families for over 10 years. They provide mutual aid support, guidance on finding work, and more.

Here is just one story: Hassan has been pursuing his citizenship but is still in TPS status and fears he will be detained. This has made it difficult for him to get to work and his family is struggling to make ends meet. Now they cannot afford to pay their rent. (Names have been changed).

We are looking for 100 people to donate $100 to reach a goal of $10,000 to help families with this need! Can you donate? Any amount is welcome!

You can donate at: DONATIONS | Newhopeforimmigrants

All donations are tax deductible.

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

Natalism is having a moment, and so is the far right. This week’s guest, journalist and author Seyward Darby, says that’s no coincidence. In this episode, Kim and Rose sit down with Seyward to unpack what natalism is, its dark ties to eugenics, and why so many, from Silicon Valley tech bros to Timothy Chalamet, seem to have bought into it.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak with the movers and shakers defining the feminist movement. Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or send a voice memo to feminismnow@now.org.

Guest:

Seyward Darby is the editor in chief of The Atavist Magazine, an award-winning publication that specializes in longform narrative journalism. She is the author of Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism (2020), which was a finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's, The Guardian, and other publications. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, who is also a writer, and their dog, cat, and infant son, who are not (yet).

Follow us on social media:

Find Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and find Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Find today’s guest, Seyward Darby on Instagram @seywarddarby and Bluesky @seywarddarby.bsky.social

Today’s featured chapter is Riverside County NOW: https://riversidecountynow.com/ on Instagram @riversidecountynow

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

What can feminist history teach us in 2026? This week, Kim and Rose sit down with Dr. Katherine Turk, historian and author of The Women of NOW, to find out. They discuss the promise and the challenges the founders of NOW faced as feminists in mid-20th century America, and what they can teach us about building effective feminist coalitions today.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak with the movers and shakers defining the feminist movement. Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or send a voice memo to feminismnow@now.org.

Guest:

Katherine Turk is Professor of History and Adjunct Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her books include Equality on Trial: Gender and Rights in the Modern American Workplace, which won the 2017 Mary Nickliss Prize, and The Women of NOW: How Feminists Built an Organization that Transformed America, named a New Yorker Best Book of 2023.

Find the LaSalle County NOW Chapter @LaSalleCountyNOW on Facebook and TikTok.

Follow us on social media:

Find Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and find Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Find today’s guest, Katherine Turk, on Bluesky @katherineturk.bsky.social.

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

Twitter: @nationalnow

We’re thrilled to be back for season 5 with new hosts, NOW National President Kim Villanueva and NOW National Vice President Rose Brunache.

In this kick-off episode, NOW’s Policy Director Shelby von Hofe sits down to interview Kim and Rose, so you can get to know the new hosts of the show. They discuss why the label of “feminist” seems to be so controversial these days, and what you can expect from this season of Feminism NOW.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak with the movers and shakers defining the feminist movement in 2026. New episodes of Feminism NOW release every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or email us a voice memo at feminismnow@now.org.

Meet Feminism NOW’s new hosts!

Kim Villanueva was elected NOW National President in July 2025 and has been an active NOW member since 1987. Outside of NOW, Kim has nearly 40 years of experience in legislative advocacy, member relations, fund development, and board governance.

Rose Brunache was elected NOW National Vice President in July 2025 and is an inclusive, millennial woman of color who brings a committed grassroots focus to her activism. Rose moved to the Washington, DC area after graduating from Temple University and has worked for various federal government agencies.

Guest Host: Shelby von Hofe is the Policy and Advocacy Director at NOW National. Shelby's work and volunteering has focused on voting rights and women's rights, in addition to completing a fellowship with the Pro-Bono Resource Center of Maryland.

NOW News: It’s NOW’s 60th birthday! NOW’s next 60 years depend on your voice, your creativity, and your conviction. Join us as we harness the power of new platforms, new ideas, and new generations to continue the fight for gender equality, social justice, and true democracy.

Join the NOW book club!

Follow us on social media:

Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Today’s guest host, Shelby von Hofe @shelbyelysia on Instagram, and the NOW Young Feminists @now_yf on Instagram.
Find the West Kentucky NOW Chapter here, or on Facebook and Instagram @WestKYNOW

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

X: @nationalnow

In 2025, Black women in the U.S. still can’t get the quality healthcare their white peers often receive. The history of bias in this country continues to play out through social determinants of health, from poverty to whether or not people have access to clean water. Despite the many questions that remain around women’s health, the Trump administration has also recently reduced funding for women’s health research.

Across the country, Black women are leading the charge to make change. Today, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Dr. Sharon Thompson, Medical Director and Board Vice Chair of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, to discuss why Black women are disproportionately impacted by inequities in the healthcare system—and how combatting these disparities benefits everyone.

Links:

https://bwhi.org/

https://bwhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CWC_Report_Full_report_lowres.pdf

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know

https://kinema.com/films/me-period-tut9gq

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/23/nx-s1-5372892/womens-health-initiative-research-funding-gets-cut

Guest: Dr. Sharon R. Thompson is a powerhouse in women’s health—an OB/GYN, health tech innovator, professor, and national speaker with deep roots in public health and education. Known for her dynamic blend of clinical care, policy insight, and media presence, Dr. Thompson leads conversations that center dignity, data, and cultural competence in healthcare. She is the founder of Central Phoenix OB/GYN and a regular medical contributor on Good Morning Arizona.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Dr. Sharon Thompson:

Instagram: instagram.com/drsharonthompson/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonthompsonmdmph/

Black Women’s Health Imperative:

Instagram: instagram.com/blkwomenshealth/

Twitter/X: x.com/blkwomenshealth

Facebook: facebook.com/BlackWomensHealthImperative/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/black-women's-health-imperative/

YouTube: youtube.com/c/BlackWomensHealthImperative

In 2025, there are more guns in the United States than people. Last June, the Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis. But even though women often feel the effects–especially through domestic violence–gun violence is rarely treated as a feminist issue.

But tackling gun violence is feminist. Today, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism, to discuss America’s gun crisis, what it has to do with attacks on women’s rights, and how we can create a future that prioritizes protecting women.

Links:

https://mikkikendall.com/

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/03/guns-america-data-atf-total/

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/annual-gun-violence-data

https://depauliaonline.com/59001/focus/gun-violence-the-unheard-feminist-issue/

https://us.pagefreezer.com/en-US/wa/browse/0a7f82bb-be6e-448a-ae11-373d22c37842?find-by-timestamp=2025-01-02T05:49:59Z&url=https:%2F%2Fwww.hhs.gov%2Fabout%2Fnews%2F2024%2F06%2F25%2Fus-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-public-health-crisis-firearm-violence-united-states.html×tamp=2025-01-02T07:03:02Z

Guest: Mikki Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant, and occasional feminist. She is the author of the New York Times-bestselling HOOD FEMINISM and of AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS, a graphic novel illustrated by A. D’Amico. She has appeared on the BBC, NPR, The Daily Show, PBS, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, WBEZ, and Showtime; her essays can be found at TIME, the New York Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, The Boston Globe, and NBC.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Instagram: instagram.com/karnythia/

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/karnythia.bsky.social