President of Now steps down amid racism allegations at feminist group
The president of the National Organization for Women (Now) has reportedly resigned following accusations of racism and a toxic work environment at America’s largest feminist group.
In an email to members of the organisation on Sunday night, citing health issues, Toni Van Pelt announced she will be leaving later this month and retiring, according to the Daily Beast.
Now did not immediately respond to a Guardian request for comment.
Vice-president Christian Nunes will reportedly replace Van Pelt as president of the group, which was founded in 1966 and has more than 500,000 members.
Van Pelt was elected in 2017. She reportedly wrote in her email that she had been struggling with a “very painful health issue” for a year and that her doctor had “implored me for months to stop working”.
She reportedly added: “I have been ignoring my doctor’s advice and my health for too long, so I have made the very hard decision to retire and step down as president of Now.”
Her resignation reportedly comes after an internal investigation into allegations of racism and a toxic work environment and as 26 chapter leaders called for Van Pelt to go.
Shortly after Van Pelt’s resignation email was sent, the Beast reported, Now leaders were sent another email stating that the investigation had found “governance issues and evidence of a toxic work environment” but that allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation had not been upheld.
It reportedly read: “Now is committed to addressing these issues and to working together to move forward and fight for the equality of all women.”
The Florida Now president, Kim Porteous, who was reportedly among leaders who called for Van Pelt’s resignation, told the Daily Beast putting Van Pelt’s resignation down to health issues was “offensive”.
“We cannot move forward with restorative justice by covering up racism or making excuses for people to leave,” she said. A June investigation by the website found that Van Pelt had been accused of racist behaviour by more than 15 former staff members and interns and that former vice-president Gilda Yazzie had filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Now. A letter calling on Van Pelt to resign was reportedly signed by 26 of 35 state chapters and the boards of Washington DC and Twin Cities stepped down in protest. Nine of 15 national board members had also called for her to leave.