Monthly Archives: December 2021

Speech Trek is Coming in February

Speech Trek is Coming in February By Ann Arneill

Get out your calendars and schedule Feb. 19, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to attend the Speech Trek Contest to be held via Zoom.  Eventbrite registration will be posted soon. The Zoom link will be sent out to registered attendees closer to the contest date.

Students from the Elk Grove Unified High School District will be participating in our public speaking contest.  The topic this year is “Has the US lived up to its pledge of liberty and justice for all? Would requiring the study of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a high school setting help ensure liberty and justice for all?”

We hope to see you there!

You can stimulate your interest in the contest by participating in our Speech Trek Challenge on Jan. 15, 2022 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. Register on Eventbrite here to receive the Zoom link for this event.

At the Challenge, members will be discussing their ideas about this important topic. The Speech Trek Committee will provide some background information, and then participants will break up into groups to discuss the topic.  The gathering will end with breakout groups briefly summarizing their discussions for the group. We hope you will be interested in previewing this topic with us.

Capital Counties IBC Event

Capital Counties IBC Event By Donna Holmes

The AAUW Capital Counties IBC Event is coming up! It will be held on January 29, 2022 from 10 a.m. to Noon.

Please join us to meet 2021-22 AAUW California Fellows/Grant Recipients as they discuss their work, research, and experiences. Also hear from AAUW CA President Dianne Owens. Please register for this free program by January 28, 2022. Register on Eventbrite here to receive the zoom link for this event.

Speakers at the Capital Counties IBC Zoom Event:
-Dianne Owens, AAUW CA President, 2020-2022

-Juily Phun will speak on Contours of Care: The Influenza Pandemic, Public Health and Asian American Communities in Southern California, 1918–1941.

-Ana Grande will speak on the P F Bresee Foundation – Physical Sciences and Engineering Exploration for 100 Low-Income Central Los Angeles Girls.

-Brenna Mockler will speak on Probing Supermassive Black Holes with Tidal Disruption Events.

Click here to get more information on the CA Fellows/Grant Recipients.  Join us for this informative event to support these women!

President’s Message

President’s Message By Angela Scarlett

Hi all,

Angela Scarlett

I hope this note finds everyone well and that everyone had a lovely holiday!  We were able to celebrate our Holiday party in person this past December 11.   As we celebrate the new year, I hope that we are able to celebrate in person safely again.  As always, your dedication to AAUW’s mission and our branch programs continues to inspire me.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Angela Scarlett

Living Our Mission of Equity – Book Discussion

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We hope you will join us in a monthly equity conversation, looking at our own biases and what actions we can take to attract diversity to our branch and become better people in the process. Each month, we read a section of our selected book then meet to discuss what we have learned, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We will meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a joint CHAR/Sacramento activity.

The Zoom meeting code is 737 420 3780, or you can join using this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7374203780

We will be discussing the second half of our latest book, “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”, by Cathy Park Hong, on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m., from pages 110 to the end. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Membership – December Update

Membership – December Update By Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew

One-third of our membership participated in our all-inclusive Holiday Party in December!  This was our first in-person event since February 2020 and it was lovely.

Members are the branch and together we change the world.  Membership directors are automatically on the Program Committee plus other non-board members who volunteer.  With Kim Rutledge’s leadership, we work out a plan for the year and who will work on each program.

At our December program we try to support another group in need, and this year we chose the Afghani refugees served by the Highlands Community Charter School.  We also learned about other cultures and their holiday observances.

The program team was made up of Bonnie Penix, Shari Beck, Gloria Yost, Barbara Smith, Jan Stuter, Kim Rutledge and Donna Holmes, with technical support by Karen Burley.  In total, 68 members made this event a rousing success.  The photo shows gifts collected at the holiday luncheon that made more than 100 children very happy.  Remember, membership is all of us — no one has to carry the whole load.  When you can, volunteer, take a chance to join a committee, interest group or even the board.  Together we are advancing gender equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy.

Join us on Jan. 29 at the IBC Zoom meeting to hear from three fellows who received part of the $5M given out by Association this past year.

Happy New Year!

-Donna Holmes & Marty McKnew

Interest Group: Film Fans

Interest Group: Film Fans By Cherril Peabody

The Film Fans interest group has been active since the mid-2000s. Until COVID-19 struck, on the third Tuesday of each month our members met at the Tower Theatre or some other local theater to see a movie matinee together. Then, those who had the time got together nearby afterward to have lunch or a snack and talk about the movie and whatever else came up! It’s a very friendly group, and we always have had a lot of laughs. Since March of last year, we have been meeting on Zoom, but last month we ventured out in person again, though we still met on Zoom as well.

For our Zoom get-togethers, we choose films that are available on Netflix and watch them on our own and then discuss them on our traditional third Tuesday morning on Zoom. To choose the film or films we will see, I come up with several suggestions that I think the group would enjoy, and those who plan to participate vote on them. Members can suggest another film if they like, providing that it is available currently on Netflix. We like independent movies and foreign films a lot, so I often suggest those types of films. When we attend in person, our criteria for movie selection include the time and the place the film will be shown.

We stuck our toes back in the water with our recent in-person attendance to view the new version of “West Side Story,” which we all enjoyed, and we even went to lunch afterward. I expect we will be organizing more in-person screenings in the coming months, though of course it all depends on how Omicron plays out.

If you are interested in getting on the email list for the group, send me an email to me (contact information for Cherill Peabody can be found in the Membership Directory).  We have around 50 people on the list, but most of them don’t participate frequently, particularly since we have been on Zoom. We have a core group now of about six members who attend often on Zoom. You are welcome to join us whenever you can.

The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment By Liz Jordan

In 2017, the AAUW CA Speech Trek contest topic asked if it was time to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.  At that time, the amendment had been ratified by 35 of the required 38 states and was abandoned by most “rights” groups after the 1982 Congressional deadline passed.  Over the next three years after 2017, three states ratified the ERA.  First the Nevada legislature ratified the amendment in 2018, then Illinois in 2019, and in January of 2020 the Commonwealth of Virginia’s legislature ratified the amendment.

Also, at that time, the Trump presidential administration, through Attorney General Bill Barr and unfriendly to the idea of Equal Rights, asked the U. S. Archivist to not register Virginia’s ratification vote.  What’s happened since then?

About 200 “rights” groups have mounted legal efforts on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment.  Equal Means Equal has picketed the White House and the Department of Justice. They have also engaged in lawsuits in cooperation with other rights groups.   The ERA Coalition has lobbied, has filed lawsuits and has generally beaten the drum to get the current administration and the current Justice Department to move the ERA out of the Archivist’s office.  AAUW has contributed to these efforts.  To date, I have not found any comment by any administration official about the hesitancy/resistance to register Virginia’s vote, and, therefore, to bring the 28th Amendment into the U. S. Constitution.

On March 17, 2021, the U. S. House of Representatives voted to remove the ratification deadline time limit that was reached in 1982.  That time limit was an artificial limit set by Congress, and therefore, subject to elimination by Congress.

The original language of the amendment stated that it would go into effect two years from the date of the last ratification vote.  That date is January 27, 2022!  However, the obstacle for the U.S.  Archivist is the Barr memo.

Why do we still need this amendment?  States all over the country, even California, have laws and practices that regularly discriminate on the basis of gender.  States vary in their protection of rape victims over perpetrators, protection of sex-trafficking victims, claims of self-defense and other issues around domestic violence such as law enforcement’s equal application of restraining orders; states vary in employment protections of pregnancy, as well as reproductive rights, and, as always, equal pay for equal work.

Imagine if the Equal Rights Amendment were to become the 28th Amendment of the United States Constitution. How would the future differ from the past?   It seems to this writer (who does not have a law degree) that the impact would build for decades, as suits are brought before the Supreme Court; the justices would apply this clearly and simply stated amendment, with no ambiguity, that discrimination on the basis of gender is illegal.  Even the current court, in its apparent three liberal and five conservative justices make-up, would not be able to find legal loopholes, justifications or ambiguous applications; they could not dodge the difficult issues around gender equity.  All matters around gender equity would be subject to strict judicial scrutiny, a judicial standard that applies at this time only to race and religion.

What could you do?  Write or call your U.S. representatives and senators to get this amendment out of Archivist limbo.  Write to the current administration.  Support groups that are working on your behalf, such as those listed below.  If you have friends and family in other states, urge them to also write to congress and to the President of the United States.

What organizations might you watch, in addition to AAUW, for information?  These are the websites I have watched for the last four years.  The first one is a great place to find the history and other factual information about the efforts to ratify this amendment.  Equal Means Equal put out a wonderful film (of the same name – Equal Means Equal) in 2016 about the need to pass the amendment. Rent it from Amazon and invite friends to watch it with you. Call me and I’ll bring it to your house and show it for you.  The ERA Coalition presents many informational webinars as well as weekly updates on the ERA in the news around the country.

https://www.equalrightsamendment.org
http://www.equalmeansequal.org
https://www.eracoalition.org

–Liz Jordan

To contact me, please see my contact information in the branch directory.

Applications Available for 2022-23 Branch Scholarships

Applications Available for 2022-23 Branch Scholarships By Molly Dugan, Cathy Locke and Danielle Metzinger

AAUW Sacramento is accepting scholarship applications for the 2022-23 academic year.

The branch is offering $3,000 scholarships to women age 25 and older who are pursuing their first baccalaureate degree at American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College, or California State University, Sacramento. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2022. 

Our scholarship program is listed on the financial aid office websites for the various campuses. Information also is provided to mentoring organizations, student services centers and community groups, including Women’s Empowerment and Saint John’s Program for Real Change. We encourage members to assist in outreach efforts by passing along information to other organizations and individuals that might be interested in the scholarship program.

Academic and other criteria for applicants are available at https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/programs/scholarships. Applications may be completed and supplemental materials submitted using the link on the webpage. Prospective applicants may direct questions about the program or application process to the Scholarship Committee at aauwsacramentoscholarships@gmail.com.

We are grateful to all our members, families and friends who have given so generously to our scholarship program.

January Birthdays, Book Groups, and Printable Articles

Celebrating January Birthdays! By Donna Holmes

  Happy Birthday to All!

  • Lana Widman                          1/1
  • Susana Mullen                        1/1
  • Marilyn Orrick                         1/6
  • Joanne Reiken                         1/6
  • Tiffany Ardisana                      1/6
  • Mary Ann Fleming                  1/8
  • Diane Preece                           1/9
  • Mary Miller                              1/14
  • Jane Pivetti                              1/15
  • Gail Johnson                           1/16
  • Archana Maniar                     1/16
  • Gloria Yost                              1/17
  • Gretchen Christophel           1/18
  • Nancy Nolen-Swanson         1/21
  • Kimberly Rutledge                 1/23
  • Betty Hayes                            1/24
  • Elizabeth Rose                       1/24
  • Katherine Henderson           1/26
  • Joan Hammond                     1/27
  • Georgia Richardson              1/28
  • Molly Dugan                           1/31

Book Groups By Sharon Anderson

Book Group 2:
The Paris Library, by Janet Charles, on Jan. 4; coordinator is Carol Hayes

Book Group 3: 
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller, on Jan. 26; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
Book selection, on Jan. 12; coordinator is Nancy Lawrence

Book Group 6: 
Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So, on Jan. 17; coordinator is Angela Scarlett

Book Group 8: 
Book selection, on Jan. 24; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson, on Jan. 20; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
While Justice Sleeps, by Stacey Abrams, on Jan. 6; coordinator is Linda Cook

Book Group 33: 
1984, by George Orwell, on Jan. 6 coordinators are Jane Pivetti, Nancy Lawrence

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