Prominent activist and educator Pat Washington was installed last week as the first African American president of the San Diego chapter for the National Organization for Women. The official installation ceremony for Washington and for the new officers of NOW’s San Diego chapter took place Wednesday, March 24, at a NOW celebration held at a private home. Civil rights icon Aileen Hernandez, chair of the California Women’s Agenda and the first African American national president of NOW, flew in from San Francisco to mark the occasion. Washington is also education chair of the San Diego branch of the NAACP.

The Center’s Executive Director Delores Jacobs and City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez co-emceed the event.

Jacobs, Hernandez and Washington emphasized the importance of combining efforts among activist organizations to tackle political battles.

“There has been a sort of hiatus in the activity of some of our organizations that really took on issues in the ’60s and ’70s,” Hernandez said. “There is a lot to be done, because we have indeed forgotten the old rule that we have to come together. The opponents on these issues are certainly together in many ways, and we have found ourselves getting involved in petty spats over issues that don’t really matter; we can’t afford to do that any longer.”

“We want to see a lot of cross-fertilization in the push for social justice for all people,” Washington agreed. “We have got to do everything we possibly can to take back our country, to take back civil rights language, to take back civil rights activism and we’ve got to push Bush back.”

Hernandez reiterated the importance of a unified activist effort, thanking the men in attendance.

“It never was in my mind that we had a battle against men,” she said of the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s. “When we free ourselves as women, we free everyone at the same time. There are lots of men who made decisions in their lives at that point, but because there were ‘roles for men’, they were stuck in roles that they really didn’t want to be a part of, just as women were stuck in roles they had really not chosen for themselves. So we are opening up the process. We have an opportunity now to move forward in a very progressive kind of way; to sort of eliminate our barriers as states and as nations, and recognize that we are all in this together, and if we don’t work together to make the world a better place, none of us will be around for the next generation.”

Other officers installed that evening were Executive Vice President Maria Plascencia, Administrative Vice President Lindsay Boyd, Membership Vice President Kathryn Sturch, Treasurer Cindy Marzolf, Secretary Erika Hartman and State Board Representative Gloria Johnson.

“We thrive on the volunteers and the involvement of the community,” Boyd said. “There needs to be a feminist voice in San Diego, and we’re it.”

Many of the speakers also stressed the importance of involving the younger generation of women in NOW’s activities.

“I don’t know who those people were in NOW that didn’t care about young people, because they are not on this platform,” Washington said.

San Diego State University has a student chapter of NOW, which elected new officials this year.

“Among the women of the state of California who are in political office, there is a tremendous amount of diversity that did not exist before,” Hernandez said. “Women of all races and backgrounds, women who are gay, women who are disabled, women who are in lower-income status, are all coming together.”

Councilmember Toni Atkins, city attorney candidate Mike Aguirre, former city council member Valerie Stallings and longtime activist Gracia Molina de Pick were among many activists, politicians and GLBT community members in attendance. Both Congresswoman Susan Davis’ office and Assemblymember Christine Kehoe’s office issued certificates formally acknowledging the San Diego NOW officers.

“It is a time for us to come together, and it is time for us to be gracious, yes, but it is also time to be aggressive in terms of the issues that we stand for,” Hernandez said. “We are indeed in a new era, a recognition that until everybody has civil rights, nobody has civil rights.”

Bourbon Street provided a host bar at the ceremony, and Hamburger Mary’s and Ono Sushi provided a buffet.