Daily Archives: October 30, 2018

The Fabulous Fifties by Anna Storey

Following World War II, both dynamism and growth characterized AAUW Sacramento. By 1950, the branch had grown to 1,047 members. As it grew, its agenda and activities expanded to reflect the concerns and needs both global and local of the post-war world. Donations of boxes of clothing and food for Europe continued as the post-war reconstruction effort continued. In addition, the branch was donating money to The Stanford Home for Girls, The Sacramento Boys’ Club, The County Hospital, The Children’s Orphanage, and to various projects focusing on mental hygiene and child and family welfare.

Committees and interest groups reflected both post-war concerns and the local and personal interests of the members. In addition to groups that still meet today were groups and committees interested in International Relations, The Red Cross and Civil Defense, The Volunteer Service Bureau, Muscular Dystrophy, Motion Pictures and Radio, Child Study, Arts and Crafts (one morning, one evening) Drama, Weaving, Creative Writing, Music Appreciation, Folk Dancing, Gardening—enough committees and groups to satisfy a robust and vibrant membership! By 1950, the 10 members of the Marionette Group (started in 1946-47 as a Drama Group project) had entertained thousands of children with numerous puppet shows.

Branch meeting topics reflected the decade’s issues of concern and often featured prominent figures as speakers. Topics such as “Living in the Atomic Age,” “Japan: Bulwark Against Asian Communism,” “The US Looks to the Americas,” “The Red Man in the White Man’s World,” “Whither Higher Education?,” and “Mental Health in a Confused World” suggest both breadth and depth of interest and featured prominent local speakers. Internationally renowned photographer Margaret Bourke-White addressed members at the Jan. 17, 1953, meeting on the topic “Behind the Lenses.” On Oct. 16, 1954, Frank Gibney, news analyst and former editor of Time magazine, was a guest speaker.

The AAUW Bulletin (now Capital Ideas) was mailed to members and contained the calendar of events for the month and articles about current activities. The Nov. 1, 1953, bulletin announced that two $150 scholarships had been awarded to graduates of Sacramento Junior College. One winner went on to San Jose State College and the other went to the University of California. On the back cover of the branch Directory was a full- page ad for Weinstock—Lubin & Co., the department store at K and 12th streets. While the ad may seem to present a halcyon picture of the 1950s, clearly AAUW Sacramento also understood that serious problems continued to exist and strove to address them vigorously.

Funds Updates by Kathleen Asay and Danielle Metzinger

Kathy Asay

It’s mid-October as I write this, we’ve just had our meeting on the ballot propositions, and Public Policy is on many minds. Did you notice when you renewed your membership that you could have donated to Fund #4337, the Public Policy Fund? A few people did and supported it. But for the rest of us, Fund #4337 is probably a mystery. At best, you might guess that it supports AAUW’s advocacy for public policies and laws that are fair to women and girls. You’d be right, but there is more to it than that. Here, from AAUW-CA’s website, are the three specific ways in which public policies are addressed and the numbers of the programs if you are interested in donating to anyone in particular:

#2256 Government Relations. Provides for our professional lobbyists on Capitol Hill and in the White House, ensuring that our voices are heard in the centers of power when decisions are made that affect women and girls.

#2517 Civic Engagement. Provides members with information and tools to build robust woman-to-woman voter registration and turnout drives in their communities.

#2257 Field Organizing. Engages individuals and branches in public policy advocacy through Impact Grants, Action Network, the Two-Minute Activist program, and Washington Update.

Danielle Metzinger

Through Fund #4337, members enable the political activism and advocacy of AAUW, which is just one way that our organization supports women and girls. If you are not now receiving the reports listed above, go to AAUW.org or AAUW-CA.org and sign up. When the emails come, you will see your donations in action.

Public Policy Updates on SB 826 by Ashley Anglesey

Public Policy Director Ashley Anglesey

On Sept. 30, Governor Brown signed SB 826 into law, which requires all publicly held, domestic or foreign corporations with principal executive offices in California to have at least one female director on the board, commencing Dec. 31, 2019. It also requires boards containing more than four board members to increase the number of female directors on the board no later than the end of 2021. If the board has five directors, the corporation must have at least two female directors. If the board has six or more directors, the corporation must have at least three female directors on its board.

This bill intends to promote equitable and diverse gender representation on every corporate board. One-fourth of California’s publicly held corporations have no female directors on their boards. Additionally, California’s public corporations have fewer female directors than public corporations elsewhere in the United States. In California, only 15.5% of board seats are held by women, relative to 16.5% of board seats held by women in Russell 3000 companies, 19.8% of board seats held by women in Fortune 1000 firms, and 21.3% of S&P 500 boards.

This is the first law of its kind in the United States, though similar laws have been enacted in Europe. As California is the fifth largest economy in the world, this bill has the potential to set an example for the rest of the nation and the world. The National Association of Women Business Owners-California, which sponsored the bill, states that “women business owners are CEOs who bring a diversity of thought, represent the majority of consumer purchasing power, and understand supplier/vendor relationships. As directors, we would be role models for aspiring women leaders inside corporations.”