Celebrating 3 years of political activism in Bay Village

Members of the Bay Village Nasty Women gather around U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (in blue jacket) during the group’s third birthday party on Nov. 7. Photo by Tara Wendell

Following the presidential election in 2016, an interesting community began to build online among women who were dismayed over the outcome of the election. The media has covered this phenomenon with articles and segments noting that women – suburban women in particular – do not approve of President Donald Trump and have formed activist groups to organize and do something about it.

This phenomenon, this rush of energy coming from women motivated out of disgust over Trump and extremist politics, is happening in your backyard, right here in Bay Village.

On Nov. 10, 2016, a secret Facebook group was formed by a concerned mother living in Bay Village who needed to channel her anger over the outcome of the election into something positive. She realized she had found solace among a few like-minded moms and created the group to commiserate, plan and organize around change. Her initial goal? “Fight like hell for the 2018 midterm elections.”  

This was the beginning of the Bay Village Nasty Women, a multi-generational group of women learning how to channel a fiery passion to support issues and causes they care about while also holding their legislators accountable.

The group started with about 50 members and grew to over 200 within a week. Today, the group stands with 566 members and counting. Borrowing a phrase Trump used to refer to Hillary Clinton during the final presidential debate, the term has become a phrase synonymous with female empowerment and members proudly refer to themselves as “nasty women.”

The Bay Village Nasty Women (BVNW) celebrated three years of activism on Nov. 7 with their annual “Birthday Party.” The highlight of the evening was a visit from U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who talked at length about the importance of volunteering to work the polls on election day to ensure that every vote is counted correctly. She also explained that because of her gerrymandered district, everyone suffers.

Gerrymandering has contributed to the extreme bipartisanship statewide and nationally. Members of the BVNW were instrumental in leading the effort to get Issue 1 on the ballot in May 2018 to end gerrymandering in Ohio. Members gathered signatures for the petition, wrote postcards to voters and legislators and built widespread awareness to inform why Issue 1 was important. Their efforts were rewarded when voters approved a constitutional amendment to redraw fair congressional and state legislative districts in Ohio.

Candidates running for office in 2020 addressed the group along with several organizations including Moms Demand Action, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Preterm, Equality Ohio, League of Women Voters and the Bay Village Green Team. Members of the BVNW are actively involved in working with these organizations and the groups were present to recruit additional activist support.

The mission of Bay Village Nasty Women is to provide an online forum for Bay Village women that inspires, respects, supports, and empowers them to work toward social justice and political reform.

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Volume 11, Issue 22, Posted 9:24 AM, 11.19.2019