Monthly Archives: January 2020

Presidents’ Message by Liz Jordan and Charmen Goehring

Liz Jordan

A very happy new year to all members of AAUW Sacramento. This year ahead promises to be full of change and tradition, progress, and probably regression, but certainly full of work toward gender equality, planning the future, reunion with friends, and hopefully good health for each of us.

On your calendars

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. Information is available here in our Capital Ideas and also by E-blast.

January 18, 2020, 4^th Annual Women’s March at California State Capitol. Find your friends, daughters, husbands, sons, and grandchildren to march. AAUW Sacramento will march together, raising awareness about our work and goals. Amy Rose, Director of Public Policy, will plan and lead our participation. Contact Amy Rose at amyjane.rose@gmail.com or Meryl Press at Meryl_Press@yahoo.com
January 25, 2020, IBC Luncheon at Plates Café, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring two Funds Recipients, Briana Marela Lizarrage, an electronic musician and sound artist, and Karen Dosanjh, who plans legal assistance for domestic violence victims, as well as victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. Please see the article and flyer in this issue of Capitol Ideas.
February 15, 2020, is the Annual Speech Trek Contest at CRC from 9 a.m. to noon on the Cosumnes River College campus. Easy parking! It’s early, but it only takes a morning of listening to high schoolers from the Elk Grove Unified School District to make you smile about the future.
100^th Anniversary Party! Plan on attending the luncheon at Northridge Country Club on February 29, 2020. Invitations will be in the mail to each member in January. Invite friends and family to help us celebrate our remarkable past through music and a skit. AAUW CEO Kim Churches is going to preview the future of AAUW.

Recent Excellent Programs

Our Holiday Luncheon at Northridge Country Club was a delightful luncheon featuring an informative presentation by Kathrine Lemke Waste, about the American Women Artists initiative “25 in 25” to secure museum exhibitions for women artists. Congrats to Deborah Dunn, Art and Architecture Interest Group, and our Program Directors Kathy Locke and Karen Burley for an excellent program and fun event.
In mid-November, the CSUS affiliates held a very successful panel presentation of women in politics on the CSUS campus. Congrats to those who organized and put on this program.

Getting Prepared – Planned Changes Coming Soon

AAUW Sacramento will be converting to online membership renewal this year. This means you will need a secure credit card and access to AAUW.org. Plenty of information will be sent out ahead of time to make this transition more manageable, but we will also be donating more online to our local outreach programs such as Speech Trek, Scholarships, Tech Trek, and AAUW Funds.
Look for a renovated website making donations easy as well as finding information about events and programs.
AAUW National is asking branches to work for recognition in the 5 Star Award Program. This program helps branches refocus efforts that promote the pillars of the Strategic Plan. Toward this effort, your board is planning some changes to Policies and Procedures that will allow us to vote electronically on questions and elections before the branch. Some policy flexibility is also under consideration in elected board directors’ terms allowing for smoother succession and transitions.

Charmen Goehring

Last Word

In last month’s issue of the Capital Ideas, Co-President Charmen Goehring wrote about the need for remaining active.

AAUW, as an organization, has an average member age of 72, which means it is vital for us to recruit new members who want to work on behalf of gender equality.
It also means we need everyone to stay involved. Too much inequality still exists; older members, long-time members, new members, younger members, we all must recommit to the mission.

We need each and every member to do whatever she or he can do, as the branch organizes efforts:

to educate and train women for lucrative careers and social participation,
to provide opportunities for building leadership skills,
and to reach out in an effort to support women’s economic security.

The Nominating Committee is looking for members to take board positions. Please consider taking on a Co-Director position. AAUW Sacramento supports each member who takes the risk of serving; we can all learn new skills.

Leadership positions of Membership, Program, and Funds need you, as well as President-Elect and Secretary, are critical to the operation of the branch. To keep AAUW Sacramento strong and engaged in our community, please consider volunteering.

Interest Groups, Book Groups, Branch Birthdays, and Board Briefs November 4, 2019 By Cherril Peabody

Click here for Interest Groups
Click here for Book Groups
Click here for Branch Birthdays
Click here for a printable version of the Articles

Here are the highlights of the November AAUW Sacramento Board Meeting, including written reports:

Co-President C. Goehring reported that she attended the Leadership Day on November 2. She also announced that the online deadline for National AAUW Board applications is November 22. Co-President L. Jordan reported that she accepted the resignation of K. Papst as Interest Groups Director and recruited a new director, Becky Anton. She also posted a report from the AAUW CA public policy director on the branch Facebook page about the bills AAUW supported in the state legislature and their status. She requested board discussion and eventual action on the new National priority of Economic Security, especially regarding the Work Smart and Start Smart programs.

Tech Trek Co-Director J. Reiken reported that the October branch meeting, which featured this year’s Tech Trek participants, was attended by 60+ members and guests and that the girls all gave outstanding presentations.

Program Co-Director C. Locke announced that Lisa Culp from Women’s Empowerment will present a program about homelessness among women and children on November 16. The time has changed for the Holiday Luncheon at Northridge Country Club on December 14. It is now set to begin at 10 a.m., an hour earlier than previously announced, and will finish up by 1 p.m.

Financial Review Committee Chair L. Patterson reported that this ad hoc committee has reviewed the AAUW Sacramento Fiscal Years 2017-18 and 2018-19. The review has been completed and the records have been found to be correct or have been corrected. The Financial Review is complete and in order.

Scholarship Co-Directors L. Patterson and A. Storey reported that they have been contacting the financial aid offices at the local community colleges and at CSUS with information about the branch’s application process for 2020-2021 scholarship awards.

Funds Co-Directors K. Asay and M. McLaughlin reported that the branch collected $4,659 for Funds with the dues payments last spring.

New Business: A. Scarlett made a motion that the branch invites its 100^th Anniversary grant recipient to attend the 100^th Anniversary Celebration on February 29, 2020, and that the branch offer to pay for her flight and provide a homestay for her during her visit. Seconded by S. Beck. The motion carried.

Sacramento AAUW in the Teens by Nancy McCabe

AAUW Sacramento – Empowering Women for 100 Years

The 2010s began with the Sacramento branch’s involvement in a landmark case of Title IX in the Mansourian et al v. Regents of California et al. Several women enrolled at UC Davis on wrestling scholarships, but the men’s wrestling coach would not let them compete. They lost their scholarships and began a seven-year litigation, resulting in a partial win. Many of our members supported the women plaintiffs and attended the trial.

We co-sponsored the celebration of women winning the right to vote 100 years prior in California. Women had campaigned for 72 years, and the right was finally granted in 1911. We now are looking forward to the 100-year celebration of the national right to vote. Hopefully, the Equal Rights Amendment will pass this year.

The same year the first local Tech Trek was held at UC Davis with our Lisa Beauchamp as the camp director. They did a wonderful job of organizing, and we continue to send six girls annually. We would send more to this wonderful program if there was space available!

Our first Start Smart presentation was given to a Women’s Studies class at California State University, Sacramento. Our Speech Trek winner won at the state level in 2012, and our branch was represented at state finals several other times throughout the decade, as well.

We have had some very well attended events in these 10 years. Paths to Public Service was presented by Chief Justice of California Tani Cantil-Sakauye and former Secretary of State Debra Bowen. Four amazing experts presented on Human Trafficking in the Sacramento region, what was happening locally, and how the community was responding. Three large productions were fundraisers: Pride and Prejudice, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Legally Blond. They were a lot of fun and raised money for our local programs. We had a tea honoring 17 past presidents who were present and five of our 18 50-year members.

We have given scholarships to career re-entry women and have been so proud of their success! We funded a $75,000 Sacramento 100^th Anniversary Research and project grant and helped complete the $75,000 Alicia Hetman Research and Project Grant. Our members are very generous, as are other branches who contributed.

Part of our membership dues go to the national AAUW organization, and part of their mission is research. In this decade they have published many important studies, including Why so few: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Women in Community College: Access to Success; Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans; and The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap. Throughout the decade, we have had interesting, well-attended programs on many of these issues.

The interest groups have remained mostly the same with a few starting or ending. Our membership has hovered around 250 with a high of 265, which is considered high both in the state and nationally. We can never take that for granted and need to actively recruit new members to maintain the vibrant organization we all love.

Public Policy Updates and Participating in the Women’s March on January 18 by Amy Rose

Get Ready for 2020!

2020 is nearly upon us, and it is going to be an eventful year. The state legislature will reconvene in early January, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote, as well as the most important election in our lifetime, where issues that matter the most to us are at risk. Primary elections are coming up March 3. Now’s the time to begin planning at the branch level how to address these activities in our communities. Women who vote can influence the outcome of an election!

What opportunities should be considered?

Voter Registration. AAUW CA is well-positioned to undertake voter registration, especially with our college/university relationships. Millennial women are an important target group. Research shows that a lack of information on the candidates and a lack of policy debates on issues of importance are the main reasons some millennial women don’t participate in the election process and may not even register to vote.

Voter Education. AAUW aims to increase women’s political influence and educate voters on issues that are important to women and girls. These targeted efforts help increase the number of women voting. AAUW’s key issues include Equal Pay for Equal Work, Investing in Education, Reducing Student Debt, Strengthening Social Security, and Implementing Paid Leave.

Women’s March January 18 – Join Us!

Join us on January 18 as we #MarchForOurHumanRights in Sacramento and around the world, as we show up to #BeCounted, and to demonstrate #WomenRising! Allied in spirit with Women’s March Global, we march for compassion, respect, and equity. Meet the AAUW Sacramento branch at Southside Park at 9 a.m. for a Women’s Civil Rights rally and resource fair. We leave Southside Park at 10:30 a.m. with the rest of the marchers and rally on the West Steps of the State Capitol at 11:45 a.m. More branch-specific information to follow. For questions, contact Public Policy Director Amy Rose or visit the official Women’s March Sacramento website.