Monthly Archives: November 2016

Voters’ Rights Update by Jo Reiken

voting-imageSince the Supreme Court ruled on the 1965 Voting Rights Act and diminished the scope of Section 5, many Americans have found registering to vote challenging.  Section 5 identified states with histories of racial discrimination and required federal oversight to any changes in their election laws.  Following the 2013 Supreme Court case Shelby vs. Holder, the federal oversight was relaxed.

Fourteen states have enacted new voting laws since 2015. Ohio has not reinstated voters from previous purges. Nevada Indian tribes won an emergency court order requiring the polling places in two Northern counties. Whether through old transgressions or new ones, the voter suppression issue continues and will surely impact our national election on November 8.  These restrictions include requiring voter ID, eliminating same day registration, diminished polling areas, reducing early voting and purging voter rolls. Thousands of Americans are affected by this actions. A disproportion number of older voters, people of color, poor and young voters will be impacted.

What has been done?    The courts have stepped up and blocked many laws that violate the Constitution or the current VRA.  For example, the 5th Circuit of Appeals affirmed that Texas law was one of the most restrictive in the country. It discriminated against blacks and Latinos. Under the original law restrictions, 600,000 registered voters would not have been allowed to vote. The Judge instructed a lower court to review the intention of law as to discrimination as well as to order new procedures to be enacted.

The Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015, sponsored by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, (D) and Georgia Representative John Lewis (D ), targets practices known to suppress voting rights of minorities and will provide greater transparency in federal elections in voting procedures. It was assigned to a congressional committee on June 24, 2015 but this bill has little chance of passing without Republican support. At this time the bill has not made it to the House or the Senate. This bill is in stalemate in Congress.

Resources: 

www.thenation, www.nytimes.com, www.aclu.org, www.leahy.senate.gov. http://www.brennancenter.org/,   www.legaguewomenvoters.org

AAUW Membership Incentive Programs by Pat Winkle

membership benefitsOur Membership Committee works to raise awareness of AAUW and our Branch, recruit prospective members, and engage and retain current members. But all of this is really done through the personal involvement of each of our members. Our history tells us that members sharing their passion about AAUW with someone else has helped to keep our numbers strong. The stronger we are, the more we can accomplish on behalf of women and girls. How can you share your passion?  Tell someone you know, or even someone you may have just met, about AAUW. Tell them about the parts of the organization that make you so passionate. Tell them about the mission, the research, the advocacy, the philanthropy, and why you are a member. Then invite them (better yet, bring them!) to a meeting, refer them to our website (sacramento-ca.aauw.net) and encourage them to join!

Since this is the beginning of a new year for the branch, we thought it would be helpful to provide information on the membership campaigns continuing this year. These campaigns provide individual and branch incentives to recruit new members.

Shape the Future Membership Campaign is a national program used to help branches recruit new members by offering reduced membership rates to new or lapsed (2 or more years) members who join on the spot during AAUW-sponsored activities that are open to the public. Branches build their member base, and for every two new members that join, branches earn one free membership, up to a maximum of five free memberships annually, to give to anyone eligible for membership, including: new members, renewing members, etc. Not only does the branch benefit, but more importantly, our new members benefit by saving 50% ($24.50) off their national dues.  This offer is available to members joining at any branch meeting or other AAUW sponsored public activities, including our Happy Hours!

Give a Grad a Gift: AAUW members can give a recent grad — a friend, daughter, son, granddaughter, grandson, niece, or nephew — a free AAUW National and state membership within two years of graduation, at no cost to you or them! Your grad will receive a one-year national and state membership — a $69 value. They can join a branch at any time but will be responsible for paying branch dues – only $16 for our branch, so why not consider gifting that for them if they are local? Please contact Membership Treasurer Sharon Anderson for application information.

Special graduate student rate: You can invite graduate students in our community to join AAUW and our branch at the special introductory National rate of $18.81 plus the cost of state dues ($10). We waive branch dues for these students. This special rate is for new members and is only effective for their first year of membership.

Finally, National will be recognizing members who recruit five or more new members in a year with a new recruiter pin.

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS by Shirley Wheeler and Pat Winkle, Co-Membership Directors

Please join us in welcoming the following new members to the Sacramento Branch of AAUW:

ASHLEY GILREATH has been a member of AAUW before joining our Branch. She received her BA in Environmental Studies and Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her Master in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ashley lives in Carmichael and works full time as a Program Manager- Conservation.

BERNARDETE NUNES was referred by Deborah Dunn. She received her BA in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. Bernardete lives in Elk Grove and is interested in joining Art and Architecture.

TAMARA OLSON received her BA in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. She is a retired Account Executive at G.E. Capital and lives in Sacramento. Tamara is interested in a number of our interest groups.

KAREN ZUMWALT received her BA and her MS in Health Education form California State University, Sacramento. She is a retired School Administrator and lives in Sacramento. Karen is interested in a number of our interest groups.

MERRIE McLAUGHLIN received her BA degree in English Literature from Swarthmore.  She is a former AAUW member.  Merrie is a retired payroll tech and lives in Sacramento. She was referred by Gloria Sears.

MARY ROSE M. REPINE received her BA and Master degrees in Industrial Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. Mary Rose also received her Ph.D. in Business from Trident University International. She is a retired Executive Director of Hospital Building Safety and a former member of AAUW.

KATHERINE (Kit) ROEMMELE received her BA in Psychology/Sociology from Whittier College. She received her Master of Education from Whittier College and University of California, Los Angeles. Kit was a former AAUW member in Fullerton. She is a retired teacher and Vice Principal. Kit lives in Sacramento and received information about our branch from the Internet.

Art and Architecture Interest Group Visits Sherry Karver Studio by Linda Patterson

art-and-architectureThe Oct. 7 meeting of the Art and Architecture group was held in Oakland at the home and studio of artist Sherry Karver. Karver, who exhibits her work in major U.S. cities and who has donated a painting to the Crocker Art Museum, is an artist whose work “addresses urban living, webcams, and other forms of surveillance and deals with a multitude of issues concerning each of us today, such as loneliness and alienation in our fast paced society.”

Her photo-based paintings and sculptures reference masses of people in a highly technological age. Karver begins her work with a black and white photograph taken in a public place, most notably Grand Central Station, Italy, or France. Text is added digitally, and then the photographic print is mounted on a 2 5/8” deep wood panel. With numerous oil glazes, Karver adds color and then coats the final surface with UV resin, a reflective surface that sometimes adds the viewer’s own likeness as part of the work.

The studio, located in the former Rockridge Women’s Club that Karver purchased many years ago, includes a mini gallery where many of her large painting are hung. Karver graciously explained her process, answered questions, and offered cookies during the visit.