By: Emily VanVleck
2^nd Vice President of Advocacy, NFBPWC 2024-2026 

Happy New Year BPW advocates! As we welcome a new year, your advocacy team is  gearing up for a strong start to 2025. Advocacy remains a cornerstone of our mission,  and this January, we are calling on all members to join us in advancing our advocacy  priorities. 

After a century we are STILL pushing for the Equal Rights Amendment, and we have  never been closer to enshrining equal rights in the US Constitution. Now until  Inauguration Day on January 20th, we call on you to take action! Continue making your  voice heard and pressure Biden to Publish The ERA before he leaves office. Use our One  Click Politics tool and visit BidenPublishTheERA.org to find more opportunities to take action. 

Along with our call to action on the Equal Rights Amendment, here are some advocacy days and action items  for January: 

January 11: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 

Human trafficking, be it sex or labor related, affects millions worldwide, with women and girls being  disproportionately impacted. This day is an opportunity to shine a light on this pervasive issue and take action. 

How You Can Take Action: 

• Wear blue to show solidarity and raise awareness about human trafficking. 

• Share resources and statistics on your social media platforms, tagging #WearBlueDay and  #EndHumanTrafficking. 

• Share resources such as the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. January 24: International Day of Education 

International Day of Education is held annually on January 24th and the theme for 2025 is ‘Learning For  Lasting Peace.’ While education is a fundamental human right and a catalyst for gender equality, girls’  education is under attack worldwide. UNICEF estimates nearly 119 million girls are out of school worldwide.  Girls face numerous barriers in receiving education such as poverty, child-marriage, and gender-based  violence, along with bans on education for our sisters in Afghanistan. 

How to take action: 

• Raise awareness about the importance of quality education for all and barriers girls face 

• Write to your local and national representatives urging increased funding for education initiatives,  particularly those addressing gender disparities 

• Consider donating to organizations supporting quality education for all

As always it is important to stay informed about key issues and share with others through webinars, social  media outreach, and local conversations. Your elected officials work FOR YOU. Reach out to them and use  your voice to advocate for policies aligned with our mission - don’t forget to share those policies with your  advocacy committee so we can promote them on our One Click Politics tool! 

The advocacy committee has a lot of exciting plans for 2025 that we look forward to sharing with you. We  encourage everyone to join us at our advocacy meetings on the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm ET.  Let’s make January the foundation for a transformative year. Your voice matters, and your actions create  ripples of change. Together, we will continue to champion equality, equity, and empowerment for women  everywhere.