Category Archives: AAUW Mission

March Program – Equal Rights for All

Lights! Camera! Action!

Equal Rights for All By Lisa Howard

Saturday, March 15, 2025

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Roberts Family Development Center

766 Darina Avenue, Sacramento

Please join us for our March branch meeting where we will explore the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion using the AAUW Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit.

The meeting will be held in the inspiring meeting space at the Roberts Family Development Center (RFDC) in Del Paso where we met last March.  RFDC provides services to the Greater Sacramento area that meet the individual needs of each family member. Their services provide a holistic approach, focusing on Pre K-12th grade academic support and enrichment, parent education and engagement, and community involvement and advocacy.

DEI has been under attack this year, but do we really know what the concept means? AAUW has invested in building program materials to help members explore challenging topics such as DEI to ensure we are a welcoming place to new members. We will also take an opportunity to check in on the DEI action activity from the February newsletter and see how we each did.

Here are the details:

• Address: 766 Darina Ave, Sacramento, CA 95815
• Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Register on Eventbrite <here> no later than Thursday, March 13 at noon.
• Bring and wear your name tag. Don’t have one or forgot yours? We will have one for you.
• You can find out more about the toolkit by clicking on AAUW DEI Toolkit.

Hope to see you there!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Corner

As an organization, AAUW strives to remove barriers for women.  As educated white women of means, much of the AAUW membership has lived through a hopeful and dynamic phase of history.  With such a noble mission, it is easy to assume that all women had the same experiences that we have, which is not true.

Women of color within our generations experienced the shared history quite differently. Young women today face less economic stability and often less reproductive freedom than most of our current membership. In support of attracting members to the mission, diversity is first about taking steps to understand the context that people may bring.  For 2025, I will be sharing a recommended reading each month that can be used to guide a learning journey for those interested in exploring our diversity.

Our recommended reading for March is  Caste  by Isabel Wilkerson, which explores how the concept of caste has impacted how we relate to each other.  The book is an excellent opportunity to reflect on experiences from the perspective of other people and holds up a mirror to the society in which we live.  Don’t have time for a whole book?  Check out  Origin , the 2023 movie
about the writing of the book. As you read, take the opportunity to reflect on how you have experienced and observed the power of caste in your life.

 

 

AAUW SACRAMENTO PRIORITIES

AAUW SACRAMENTO PRIORITIES By Kathy Papst

Hello fellow members and board of directors! I am finally back from my self-imposed hiatus in order to get settled into my new home. I am now ready to continue with my efforts to share news and encourage action for our mission of equity for women and girls.

As we start our new calendar year and finish our branch year, I have been reflecting on ways to encourage our members to become involved with our mission. Several articles have been published and emails sent in order for you to share your ideas and possibly take on a board position or chairmanship in our branch. The current board members have been working hard for many years, and some of them are in need of a break. We feel that it is always good to have new perspectives and fresh ideas in these positions. I know that it is daunting, especially if you are new to AAUW and don’t know how the board works for its members. President Nancy McCabe and program co-directors Barbara Smith and Hedda Smithson have told the members that the work involved is easy, and they are correct because we all work together to make it happen, to keep up interest in attending events and becoming involved in opportunities to help our community. It just takes a small leap of faith to step forward.

I would like to invite anyone interested in helping with Public Policy, Civil Rights Advocacy, and Title IX to come to my apartment for lunch and a complete overview of what these positions involve. I would love to have two or three members to help with these programs. I can answer any questions and show you the ropes on how I work for these important mission actions. I have tentatively set this for Thursday, March 20, at 11a.m. If you are curious about the workings of collaborating with me, please email me; my contact information can be found in the Membership Directory.

While I was away for December 2024 and January/February of 2025, the California AAUW board members were working hard with plans for the rest of the fiscal year and beyond. You can find the latest Public Policy Newsletter <here>. Here are a few highlights for these programs.

  • The annual Lobby Days are coming up very soon. There was an article in last month’s newsletter and also in the state newsletter, California Connection, explaining how we reach out to California legislators with our support and our mission. The dates are April 8 and 9. On April 8, members of several branches will meet with legislators in person. Activities on April 9 will be on Zoom. The deadline to participate is Feb. 21.
  • There were two webinars in January on important topics that we had programs on last year. One was entitled 2024 Revisions to Title IX: How they Impact AAUW Values and Public Policy Priorities. The second webinar was on Reproductive Rights: Where Do We Go from Here? Both webinars are available to watch in the archived programs on the California website.
  • The state board has announced that they are having a contest for Branch Activity of the Year. The winning entry will be a branch activity that is novel, inspirational, and mission-related with a DEI component. The activity must be reproducible (AKA “borrowable”) by other branches. Honored branches will receive a small monetary award and bragging rights at the AAUW California Annual Event on April 26. The application on their website and the deadline this year is March 15. I don’t think that the activity has to be completed by the application deadline date, so we can still apply for our remaining programs in March and April.
  • The branch leaders were recently sent the Annual Branch Survey regarding the programs and activities that were mission related. The “FIVE STAR PROGRAM” celebrates branches for achieving five stars for commitment to be involved in all aspects of AAUW’s mission. Our branch received three stars. I truly believe that we would have received five stars if we had thought to videotape our tremendous programs throughout the year. All were definitely mission related and well attended. We will have to think about this for the future so that we can shine a light on the hard work we do in this community to foster equity for women and girls.

I highly encourage our members to read the California Connection on the AAUW website. You can find the latest edition <here>. It has so much to offer. It highlights the public policy legislation that AAUW supports. There are articles on ways to highlight branch involvement in AAUW activities. If you have any questions on what they do for branches and members in the state, they will gladly help you out. Our members receive emails with the newsletter each month. If you are not receiving them, you can reach out and request to be added to the roster.

And finally, don’t forget about the TWO MINUTE ACTIVIST on both the national and AAUW California websites. It really works to have individual members tell our legislators that these issues are very important to us.

Thank you. I hope to see you in March for the Civil Rights For All program. Don’t forget to sign up soon.

Book Groups

Book Groups Update By Sharon Anderson

If you wish to see what others are reading, or get ideas for your book group or yourself, please refer to the “books” page under “Activities” on our branch website (https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/bookgroups/).

Each book group has its own tab, by book group number.  (These book group numbers correlate with page 6 of the branch Membership Directory.)  On each list, the meeting days, times and coordinator are listed.

Top 4 Favorite Books Read in 2024 – by Book Group 4:

  1. Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
  2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tokarczuk
  3. Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus
  4. Five Days at Memorial, by Sherri Fink

February Book Groups

Book Group 1:
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, by Annie Lyons, on Feb. 13; coordinator is Susanna Mullen

Book Group 3:
Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt, on Feb. 26; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo, on Feb. 12; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 8:
The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, by Stacy Schiff, on Feb. 24; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
James, by Pervival Everett, on Feb. 20; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
The Murmur of Bees, by Sofia Segovia, on Feb. 6; coordinator is Linda Cook

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We hope you will join us in a monthly equity conversation where we look at our own biases, seek 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 meet the first

Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 PM on Zoom.

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

We will discuss our current book, Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South, on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. We will discuss chapters 5-8. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Leadership

AAUW Sacramento Branch Leadership By Hedda Smithson

AAUW Sacramento-Organized February 1920

Look at our 105th year!! Marvel at the improvements we’ve made over the years. A sleeker, well designed framework that takes advantage of technology and communication has emerged.

  • 9-member Board of Directors
  • 10 Board of Directors’ meetings on Zoom – rarely last more than 90 minutes
  • 2 positions will be elected this year for the 2025-26 membership year: President and Program Vice President
  • 2 positions continue: Finance Director and Secretary
  • 5 positions will be appointed for one-year terms. (See page 8 of the directory)
  • 4 branch meetings required by our governing documents,

And how (you are thinking to yourself) can I help? We thought you would never ask!!

  1. Put on your thinking cap – what topics or issues would you like to have addressed at a branch meeting?
  2. What interesting meeting places would you like us to consider?
  3. Reread the article in the January issue of Capital Ideas for more details.
  4. Think about how you would like to become more involved in your branch.
  5. Then call, text, or email Nancy, Hedda or Barbara. (Pages 9, 24, 25 of directory.)

Side note: We have a standing reservation at the North Ridge Country Club for the second Saturday in December for our Holiday/Winter Luncheon.  Members of the Citrus Heights/American River Branch of AAUW will be joining us for the 2025-26 membership year. The majority of their members live in Citrus Heights, Carmichael and Fair Oaks.

March Program – Equal Rights for All

Lights! Camera! Action!

Equal Rights for All By Lisa Howard

Saturday, March 15, 2025

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM at Roberts Family Development Center

766 Darina Avenue, Sacramento

AAUW members have long raised awareness through their impactful initiatives, programs and research. We recognize the need to attract and retain members, and to celebrate the diversity that all individuals bring.

At a national level, AAUW is prioritizing the skills we need to hone to be able to have the bold and challenging conversations that we are likely to encounter as we work our way out of the divisive conditions in which we find ourselves.  National AAUW will host a webinar on “Bold Conversations” Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. PST to review key skills like active listening so critical to engaging in difficult topics. Click <here> to register for the webinar.

To further prepare our members, Lisa Howard and Jessica Waugh will use the AAUW best practice toolkit materials discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and will lead the group in exploring how our unconscious bias informs how we are perceived when we engage with people with different life experiences from our own.

We will gather for this panel discussion at the Roberts Family Development Center in Del Paso on Saturday, March 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. RFDC is located at 766 Darina Ave., Sacramento. At the meeting we will take participants through the AAUW DEI Toolkit to explore the terminology for greater understanding.

Hope to see you there!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Corner

As an organization, AAUW strives to remove barriers for women.  As educated white women of means, much of the AAUW membership has lived through a hopeful and dynamic phase of history.  With such a noble mission, it is easy to assume that all women had the same experiences that we have, which is not true.

Women of color within our generations experienced the shared history quite differently. Young women today face less economic stability and often less reproductive freedom than most of our current membership. In support of attracting members to the mission, diversity is first about taking steps to understand the context that people may bring.  For 2025, I will be sharing a recommended reading each month that can be used to guide a learning journey for those interested in exploring our diversity.

The first recommended book is The Sum of Us – What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGee. One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone — not just for people of color. The book is available standard, adapted for Young Readers, audio  and even as a podcast.

In preparation for Black History Month in February, we’ve included a month of challenges for members to consider as recognition for the month.  Click <here> for the Challenge Sheet. Bring your sheet with you to the March meeting where we’ll award a prize for the most items completed.

Campaign to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment

Campaign to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment By Liz Jordan

Our sister branch Nevada County AAUW has launched a grass roots campaign to get the Equal Rights Amendment published in the Constitution before the new Presidential Administration takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.

Additionally, if you want to encourage President Biden to ask the Archivist to publish the 28th Amendment, the White House phone numbers are:
1 (202) 456-1111
1 (202) 456-1414 Alternate Phone

Write out your script before calling, keeping your message direct and to the point. The Senate Joint Resolution 4 removes the deadline for ratification of the ERA.  State your request and a few words about why you make this request.  To send a message to the President, you may try the following online method:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share/

Once we have a published constitutional amendment, the Supreme Court is obligated to consider gender as a protected class: statistically, positive outcomes to gender discrimination lawsuits increase significantly. Examples of potential positive outcomes are increased pay equity, greater access to leadership positions, reduced gender-based harassment and improved access to healthcare.

Sample Script:  Please pass Senate Joint Resolution 4 to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  No other amendment has had such a deadline, and we have waited for 52 years for this 28th Amendment.  We need gender protection spelled out in the Constitution.

Book Groups Update

Book Groups Update By Sharon Anderson

If you wish to see what others are reading, or get ideas for your book group or yourself, please refer to the “books” page under “Activities” on our branch website (https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/bookgroups/).

Each book group has its own tab, by book group number.  (These book group numbers correlate with page 6 of the branch Membership Directory.)  On each list, the meeting days, times and coordinator are listed.

December Book Groups

Book Group 1:
No meeting in December; coordinator is Joy Clous

Book Group 3: 
No meeting in December; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, on Dec. 11; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 6:
Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands, by Kelly Lytle Hernandez, on Dec. 16; coordinator is Susana Mullen

Book Group 8:
No meeting in December; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
Holiday party on Dec. 19; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
Holiday party on Dec. 5; coordinator is Linda Cook

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We hope you will join us in a monthly equity conversation where we look at our own biases, seek 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 meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 PM on Zoom.

The Zoom meeting code is 737 420 3780 or you can join using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7374203780  We will discuss our current book, Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South, on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. We will discuss the Intro through chapter 4. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

November Program-Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Title IX

AAUW Sacramento  Branch Presents

“The Rights Stuff”

Lights, Camera, Action!

The Right to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX

Saturday, November 16, 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Eskaton Village, 3939 Walnut Avenue, Carmichael
South Auditorium

This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which was enacted into law by Richard M. Nixon on June 23, 1972. Title IX changed the Federal Education Amendments to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Join us as we continue our mission of equity for women and girls by learning the history of Title IX in U.S. schools. What started this legislation? How has it changed? What protections have been expanded? What outside forces threaten its future?

Tickets are available only on Eventbrite until Wednesday, Nov. 13. Please click <here> for tickets.

Our program guest speaker is Aileen Rizo, associate director of the AIMS Center for Math and Science, a graduate math/science education professor and is currently pursuing a PhD in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education.

In 2012 Aileen began a fight for pay equity and became an advocate for the economic security of women in our state and throughout the country, working with legislators to pass some of the strongest pay equity bills in the nation.

This program should be very informative. We encourage you to invite friends to accompany you. The Membership Committee will have AAUW membership applications available for interested attendees. Seats may be limited, so please act soon. Refreshments will be provided. Wear your name tag if you have one.

President’s Message

President’s Message By Nancy McCabe

We are deeply saddened by the news of Lilly Ledbetter’s passing on Oct. 12th at the age of 86. Lilly was a courageous champion for wage equality, whose fight for fair pay transformed workplaces across the nation.

As the driving force behind the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, she opened doors for countless women and workers to seek justice for wage discrimination. Her grace, grit, and unwavering dedication to wage equity will continue to inspire us all.

Our thoughts are with her family and all who knew and loved her.

Rest in power, Lilly. Few women embody the AAUW Mission better than Lilly Ledbetter.
[Courtesy of AnitaB.org]

AAUW Priorities

AAUW Priorities By Kathy Papst

First, I want to thank Karen Burley for stepping up to be the chairperson of Funds. This is
especially great with all the other jobs she oversees in our branch. Thank you for your selfless
commitment to our branch mission.

There is so much happening with the state organization to further our goals for equity for women in many ways. It is easy to think that we have made so much progress that we can all rest and think that the mission has been accomplished. That is not the case, and we need to continue to work toward moving forward and to keep outside forces from trying to erase all of the work that AAUW has fought hard to enact.

Some interesting news from the state website: If you wish to find out what is new, take a few
minutes to read what is happening in Public Policy, Equal Rights, Title IX, Pay Equity, and
Discrimination issues. The Sept. Public Policy newsletter can be found <here>.

In 2024, even though the federal government has laws in effect regarding pay equity, women still make 84 cents for every dollar that men make. The state website has a 2024 voter issue guide available to download.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law AB 1078, which prevents school districts from banning
books and censoring curriculum.

The Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to 77-year-old Claudia Goldin without men as
collaborators. Claudia is a professor of economics at Harvard University.

We have some very exciting programs coming up this year, and I strongly encourage all branch
members to consider attending these mission-based programs. Remember that we can make great friends and get together for book discussion groups, dining groups, Art & Architecture, etc. because of our involvement with AAUW.

The Oct. 19 program will feature a discussion of ballot measures in the 2024 election. This will
be led by law students from McGeorge Law School.

On Nov. 16, I will host a meeting regarding the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX into law. I am working on having a speaker(s) talk about pay-equity cases that went to the higher courts for deliberation in California. I am crossing my fingers to schedule a very prominent
speaker on this issue. Please put these dates on your calendar.

Once again, if you would like to help work on any part of Priorities, please contact me and we can find some way to contribute to this important cause.

Happy Autumn,
Kathy

From the CA AAUW President:

This is a reminder of the critical impact school board races have on our communities.

Though they may seem small, school boards make vital decisions about what students learn, how resources are allocated, and the policies affecting the health, safety, and equity of our schools. They also influence essential issues like sex education, mental health services, and inclusion, while managing key decisions about land use and school closures that directly affect neighborhoods.

With the upcoming election, it’s important that we all participate. These elections determine the quality of education and fairness in our communities, and often serve as stepping stones for future political leaders. Please be sure to research your local school district, review your sample ballot, and learn about the candidates.

In some parts of California, school boards may challenge the state’s pro-choice and health equity values, which makes your vote even more urgent.

Your involvement ensures that all students receive the education and resources they deserve in a supportive and inclusive environment. Voting in these elections helps shape not just our schools, but the future of leadership in our communities.

Your vote matters!

 ***
This message was sent to you from the Capital Women’s Campaign (CWC).  Chaired by former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, CWC is an alliance of pro-choice activists from the greater Sacramento region determined to flex our collective power. If you have information to share, especially regarding bringing more pro-choice women into the political process, please send to info@capitalwomenscampaign.com  Note that if you prefer not to receive information/calls to action from CWC, simply reply to this email with a request to be removed from our mailing list.