Tag Archives: Equity

Book Groups for November

Book Groups Update By Sharon Anderson

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

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.  Feel free to call me if you have trouble locating it.

November Book Groups

Book Group 1:
The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore, on Nov. 9; coordinator is Joy Clous

Book Group 2:
All the Lonely People, by Mike Gayle, on Nov. 7;  coordinator is Carol Hayes

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

Book Group 4: 
Desert Queen, by Janet Wallach, on Nov. 8; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 6: 
Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life, by Alice Wong, on Nov. 20; coordinator is Kim Rutledge

Book Group 8: 
The Milky Way, by Yaa Gyasi, on Nov. 27; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
Your Table is Ready, by Michael Cecchi-Azzolini, on Nov. 16; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict, on Nov. 2; coordinator is Linda Cook

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith (pages 85-206) at 7 p.m. Nov 1. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Our book for December is  “The Talk” by Darrin Bell (graphic novel).

 

DEI Event

Diversity in Action! By Lisa Howard

As the DEI Chair for the branch, I would like to invite members to join me for a field trip to a
black cultural center in Sacramento. The trip is an opportunity for members interested in bringing diversity to the branch membership to experience a predominately black space in our own community at the Sojourner Truth Museum and Sac African Market Place on Saturday Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.. The museum will provide us a custom tour of the museum exhibits highlighting women. Before or after the tour, members are free to explore the market, which is held in the museum parking lot at 2251 Florin Road from noon to 6 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays each month.  Come explore the shops, food and entertainment.

Sojourner Truth Museum requests an $8 donation for the tour, which can be paid at the door. Tour size is limited to 30 individuals. Please RSVP to Lisa Howard if you plan to attend so we can estimate the group size. My email address and cell phone information can be found in the Membership Directory.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Lisa

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith (through page 84) at 7 p.m. Sept. 6. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Here are the books that are planned September through June:

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America – by Clint Smith-Sept/Oct/Nov
 
The Talk – by Darrin Bell (graphic novel)-December
 

Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under The Color Of Law – by Richard and Leah Rothstein-Jan/Feb/March

The Four Pivots: Reimaging Justice, Reimaging Ourselves, by Shawn Ginwright, PhD-April/May/June

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 our favorite poems from our latest book, “Call Us What We Carry” by Amanda Gorman at 7 p.m. June 7. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 final chapters of our latest book (from chapter 9 to the end), The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, at 7p.m. on May 3. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 chapters 5-8 of our latest book, “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein at 7 p.m. April 5. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

AAUW, Equity and Inclusion

AAUW, Equity and Inclusion By Charmen Goehring

This past weekend, I attended the California Teacher’s Association’s Equity and Human Rights conference. I was both a presenter and participant.

I was heartened by the more than 500 attendees, all educators with social justice mindsets, eager to do their part to dismantle systemic racism and biases that are hurting our students and, more widely, our nation and world. It felt good to know that I was not alone in this fight and to be validated about the importance of equity and inclusion work.

How does this relate to AAUW? In education, most teachers (73.4 percent in California) are female, yet most administrators and those in spaces where decisions are made are male — like the halls of government. We know that women bring a more collaborative, inclusive manner to discussions, whether in a school, board room, the floor of Congress or on the Supreme Court bench. Therefore, having more women in those spaces is beneficial for all, especially women and girls. To this end, AAUW has programs like Tech Trek, Gov Trek, Start $mart and Work $mart, and the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), all geared toward helping young women gain the skills and confidence to enter male-dominated spaces and thrive.

But we need to do more. Women of color have largely been left out of the conversation, in

Charmen Goehring

general and in AAUW. The women’s rights movement did not include them and until the late 1950s, neither did AAUW.

One glance around any AAUW meeting anywhere will show the effects of that exclusion — after 142 years of storied existence, AAUW is still predominantly an older, white woman organization. We have missed out on the passion, creativity and ideas of all those women who have the same concerns and interests but look different than us. We continue today to work on similar goals separately, despite knowing that “stronger together” isn’t a theme for nothing!

Lest you think I am advocating that we run out and find women of color to join us, I am not. I strongly believe that we each, and as a branch, have work to do first. When others join us, we want them to feel welcome and like they belong. And, for that to happen, we must examine our own biases (we all have them) and learn about the ways that our financial, educational and cultural systems have marginalized those who do not look like us. It’s the only way we can make lasting change that will ensure “equity for all”, which is, after all, our AAUW mission.

Some suggested resources:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/- online Implicit Association Test

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, explains the science behind implicit biases that we all have

“The Color of Law “by Richard Rothstein — our Equity book group is reading this now, about the blatant racism built into housing policies in the US from the turn of the 20th century (some linger today)

https://www.ted.com/talks/ibram_x_kendi_the_difference_between_being_not_racist_and_antiracist?language=en – Ted Talk by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, who is amazing

Living Our Mission of Equity

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This book group is a joint AAUW Sacramento and CHAR event and open to all.

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 chapters 1-4 of our latest book, “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein, at 7 p.m. on March 1. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Equity Book List

The joint AAUW Sacramento/CHAR Equity book group has been reading and learning together for more than two years now. We have read thought provoking, frustrating and poignant research and stories around the topic of race, inclusion, equity and systems in America that continue to be problematic. We would like to share our list and encourage you to take yourself on an equity journey as well. Confronting our own biases and understanding how privilege affects our lives is a first step toward a more just and equitable branch as well as world.

  • Waking Up White – Debby Irving
  • How To Be An Anti-Racist –  Ibram Kendi
  • The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together – Heather McGee (one of our faves)
  • Caste– Isabel Wilkerson
  • Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
  • Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning – Cathy Park Hong
  • You Are Your Best Thing – edited by Tarana Burke and Brene Brown
  • So You Want To Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
  • Feminism is For Everybody – belle hooks
  • The Color of Law – Richard Rothstein

Living Our Mission of Equity/Scholarship

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 generally meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a joint CHAR/Sacramento activity and open to all.

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

We will discuss the second half (page 122 through the end) of our current book, “How to Be An Antiracist”. by Dr. Ibram Kendi at 7 p.m. on Feb. 1. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Scholarship Application Time By Cathy Locke

Women attending UC Davis are now eligible for AAUW Sacramento scholarships.

The branch board on Dec. 5 approved the scholarship committee’s recommendation to add UC Davis to the list of colleges that scholarship recipients may attend. Previously, we have had to turn away otherwise qualified applicants who were transferring from a Los Rios Community College campus to UC Davis. Because UCD is a public university with a major presence in the Sacramento region, it is a logical option for community college transfer students.

The branch is offering $3,000 scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year to women age 25 and older who are pursuing their first baccalaureate degree at American River College, Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College, Sacramento City College, California State University, Sacramento, or UC Davis. Students must be Sacramento County residents at the time of application. The number of scholarships will depend on available funds and the number of qualified applicants. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2023.

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 branch 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.

Thanks to the generous support of our members, families and friends, we are assisting five women who were each awarded $3,000 scholarships for the current academic year.

The Reproductive Choice Committee Changes Course

The Reproductive Choice Committee Changes Course By Liz Jordan

The Reproductive Choice committee is changing course.  We decided to try “doing what AAUW does best” – read and discuss what we read for our own enlightenment.  In addition, we intend to share with the branch insights and information in which we hope fellow members would be interested.

Yes, we are still interested in the “post-Dobbs” environment, but the committee felt we had completed our research into the changes made around the U. S.  in the many states that have banned or seriously restricted abortion.  We have accumulated a significant library of articles, podcasts and videos on the topic and are happy to share with anyone who is interested.

For February meeting, Feb. 9, 1 p.m. over Zoom, we are independently listening to as many episodes as we can of the podcast Ordinary Equality by Kate Kelly and Jamia Wilson.  This podcast is in its second year of production and covers a lot of the history of the women’s movement, the Roe v. Wade decision, the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the impact of the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).  It’s available where ever you get your podcasts.

Beginning in March, we plan to read by section the book “Lady Justice” by Dahlia Lithwick.  At the February meeting, we will plan how much we want to read and discuss in March.

We are looking for more members who are interested in listening and reading on these topics.  If you are interested in joining us for conversation, please email Liz Jordan (contact information can be found in the Membership Directory).  We will send you the Zoom link and welcome all new members.