About

The Tennessee Women's Political Caucus (NWPCTN) is a 501(c)4 nonprofit, member organization that aims to recruit, train, and elect pro-choice women. NWPCTN is a recognized chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus, an organization founded in 1971 in response to the initial failure of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The national effort was brought together by trailblazers like Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamner, and Gloria Steinem to advance the full and equal participation of women in government and the political process.

 

Tennessee has it's own history for women's rights.  

​Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution, which codified women's right to vote nationwide. A storied legacy, monuments are spread throughout Tennessee highlighting the women that organized the movement. The Tennessee Women's Political Caucus played a crucial role in supporting the funding and development of the Nashville monument dedicated to women's suffrage, which features 4 Tennesseans: Anne Dallas Dudley, Abby Crawford Milton, J. Frankie Pierce, Sue Shelton White, and Carrie Chapman Catt, the national suffrage leader who came to Tennessee to direct the pro-suffrage forces from the Hermitage Hotel. 

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We continue their struggle. 

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Our mission is crucial. The supermajority legislature has spent the past 10 years dismantling women's rights, and our representation mirrors that. Tennessee ranks 47th in the nation for women's representation in state legislatures, and 42nd in local office. Only 17.6% of our state legislators are women. Our mission is to build grassroots coalitions statewide to support women's leadership development throughout Tennessee. Through endorsements, voter registration drives, and educational initiatives, we aim to empower women in Tennessee and provide opportunities to participate in the political system.