Tag Archives: Equity

Equity Book Discussion

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We invite you to 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. We are reading the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” by Isabel Wilkerson and discussing what we have read, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom. We plan to continue to meet over the summer.

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

We will discuss Parts 6 and 7 on August 11 at 7p.m. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Living Our Mission of Equity

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We invite you to 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. We are reading the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” by Isabel Wilkerson and discussing what we have read, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom. We plan to continue to meet over the summer.

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

We will discuss Part 4 on June 9 at 7p.m. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Funds Update

Funds Update By Charmen Goehring

Do you remember the statewide Legacy Circle contest that ends June 30? AAUW Sacramento is close to winning!! If you have been thinking about remembering AAUW in your estate, this would be a great time to make that commitment and join the Legacy Circle! Call me if you have questions, or find a brochure on aauw.org.

Between January and May, our branch has contributed more than $2,700 to the AAUW Funds. Thank you to each of you who has made a donation. The majority of those monies went to the Greatest Needs Fund, which allows AAUW the maximum in flexibility to address needs as they arise, as well as fund the majority of our signature projects and staff. Please consider a gift to AAUW’s Greatest Needs Fund today!

The Time is — Now?

The Time is — Now?

Submitted by Liz Jordan. From the AAUW CA Board: Living our Vision of Equity for All
Click here to find out more and see some inspiring videos. Also, see https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2021/03/living-our-vision-of-equity-for-all-presentation.pdf/.

Is this the time, now, after 140 years, to invite everybody with similar goals to join AAUW? The AAUW California Board of Directors thinks it is and would like you to know why.

We work hard for the AAUW vision of equity for all and the mission of advancing gender equity, education, health issues, and more. But so do others, including many without a college degree. Are we missing out on their energy, ideas, and help? Before you vote, please review the aauw.org home page. It reflects our inclusive mission for equity. Our membership bylaws do not.

Here is some history that may surprise you: Until the late 1940s, only women with four-year degrees from a small list of accredited, elite universities could join AAUW. According to Sharon Schuster, past AAUW National and California president, “Some would like to forget that we used to vote on prospective members — with all of the implications of what that meant.”

The World War II years broadened AAUW’s vision and all women with four-year degrees from any accredited schools were invited to join; applicants were required to present their degree certificates.

The next requirements to be dropped were accreditation and proof of degree. Then the  4-year degree requirement was dropped as holders of 3-year nursing degrees and 2-year associate degrees became eligible. Eligibility was also extended to students working toward a degree. In the 1980’s, men were allowed to join. Now, in 2021, most membership requirements have been eliminated and only one remains: that of the two-year degree.

AAUW California understands why some members might be reluctant to embrace this idea: it has long been a badge of accomplishment for women to earn a college degree, and we all enjoy socializing with others who enjoy the same things. But shared values are not an automatic byproduct of a college degree.

Before we discuss the benefits of removing this last barrier, you should know that quite a few foundations refuse to grant funds to organizations that discriminate. Yes, that is how they view this requirement. And this reduced funding pool restricts our work.

The younger generations do not view our restriction receptively either. We believe that they are more likely to join organizations with open membership working for similar goals.

The same can be said for potential members of more diverse backgrounds. We have the same vision for the future of all women and all girls; we should work together. And we can do that more effectively if we welcome everybody. Also, in order to provide support for those excluded or marginalized, we need to stop excluding and marginalizing. We need to LIVE our mission and vision.

So, how would AAUW change if everyone could join?

Your enthusiastic Tech Trek moms without degrees want to help our splendid STEM camps. Now they could.

New people might join your board to help with AAUW projects and events. They will bring fresh perspectives.

Remember when you had a friend who wanted to join AAUW but was one year short of a degree? Now she could.

This would be AAUW’s future face: more people of all backgrounds and colors, more hands working on our mission; more members to join discussion groups. We would be an organization that welcomes everybody.

And, how would it NOT affect AAUW or your branch?

It will not affect the uniqueness of AAUW. Its uniqueness is its breadth of programming, research, policy, advocacy, fellowships and grants, and grassroots membership.

  • It will not change your branch’s involvement in local scholarships or interest groups.
  • It will not change the mission of the branch. Mission is not determined by a degree, but by belief in and dedication to equality for women.

Sharon Schuster also said, “AAUW has survived because of our ability to change and because our membership requirements have changed over the years.”

So, when April 7th arrives, do remember the issues we raise here and cast your vote in the AAUW National election for a positive future for an AAUW that welcomes everybody.. As much as we value the way we have been, we can also value the way we will be. It’s time we walked the talk.

Carol Holzgrafe, Director
Branch Assistance Contact
AAUW California

Equity Conversations

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We invite you to 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. We are reading the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson and discussing Part Two, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8pm on Zoom.

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

We will discuss Part Two on April 14 at 7pm. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Living Our Mission of Equity

Living Our Mission of Equity by Charmen Goehring-Fox

We invite you to 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. We will be starting the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson and discussing what we have read, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8pm on Zoom.

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

We will discuss Part 1 on March 10 at 7pm. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Sacramento AAUW Public Policy Update

Sacramento AAUW Public Policy Update By Arlene Cullum

In early January, we experienced some of the darkest days in our nation’s history. One can only hope that our country will heal over time after the inauguration and we will have the opportunity to reflect positively on our path.

Days after the crisis, you received an email from Kimberly Churches, our national AAUW chief executive officer, who reassured the organization that AAUW is “proud (to) join in solidarity with leading gender justice and equity organizations … to hold responsible individuals accountable for their actions.”  The hope is that the unified message will inspire those in power to action.

On Jan. 11, the Sacramento AAUW Public Policy Committee processed the events in DC and then received a Federal Update from Karen Humphrey.  She informed us that the Department of Education may be initiating an Office of Gender Equity, and our new Secretary of Education may be putting sexual harassment and gender equity back on the table.

Arlene Cullum then provided a presentation on the Maternal Health Public Policy Update.  She outlined the opportunities to impact prematurity, the costs of prematurity, and the high unintended pregnancy rate in California and the United States (up to 48-50 percent).  Multiple federal maternal health bills were introduced in the House and Senate last year, and the themes of voluntary state expansion of postpartum care to one year, data collection and perinatal collaboratives, and impacting disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality were discussed.

The committee also reviewed a form and process to submit public policy requests to the board.

Reminder: A webinar on “How To Speak To Your Legislator” training will be held on March 22, 2021 at 7 p.m.  Please sign up on the California AAUW website under upcoming trainings.  The State AAUW Lobby Day will be held on March 24, 2021.  There is still time to sign up!

Gender Pay Gap

2069? 2369? 2451?
WHEN WILL THE GENDER PAY GAP BE CLOSED?
By Ginny Hatfield, AAUW California Public Policy Committee

How long will it take? What can we do to make it happen sooner rather than later? These are questions that AAUW has been grappling with for decades.  As we mark Equal Pay Day on March 31, perhaps there is hope that we can make progress in decreasing the gender pay gap in 2021, given a new administration that is committed to social justice and leveling the growing disparity between the haves and have nots.  We also now have women in the highest echelons of national leadership, and as we all know, when women are in charge, things get done!

According to the 2020 update to AAUW’s “The Simple Truth”, it will take white women until the year 2069 to achieve parity with men based on the projected earnings ratio compiled between 1988 and 2019. For women of color the numbers are even worse. Black women will have to wait until the year 2369 – 350 years – as their earnings ratio has advanced only a mere 7 percent from 1988 to 2019.  And Latinas find themselves in a worse scenario as their earnings ratio has increased only 4 percent, from 51 percent to 55 percent, during this time period, projecting their year of parity to 2451! (AAUW, The Simple Truth 2020 update)

The reasons for these disparities in the gender wage gap are known – and understanding what’s causing the problem is the first step to meeting it head on.  Members are urged to read the summary of “The Simple Truth” update on our National website, which lays out the problem, its causes and solutions.  https://www.aauw.org/app/uploads/2020/10/SimpleTruth_1.8.pdf

AAUW is leading the charge to effectuate change, and you are part of the solution with the work your branches undertake on behalf of women and girls. The more we educate ourselves and others about the scope of this gender wage gap with programs like Start Smart, Work Smart, NCCWSL, etc., the more we chip away at the disparity.  What is your branch doing to make a difference in the gender pay gap? Let us know what creative ideas you have come up with to spread the word in these days of social distancing. We’ll share them on the web (send to publicpolicy@aauw-ca.org).

Mission of Equity, Branch Birthdays, Book Groups, Printable Newsletter Articles 

Living Our Mission of Equity

We invite you to 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. We are reading the book “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo and discussing what we have read, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. 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 chapters 14 through 17 (last chapters) on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Branch Birthdays, Book Groups, and Printable Newsletter Articles

  • Click here for Branch Birthdays for February
  • Click here for Book Group books for February
  • Click here for Printable Newsletter Articles

Living Our Mission of Equity

Living Our Mission of Equity By Charmen Goehring

We invite you to join us in a monthly equity conversation looking at our own biases and what

Charmen Goehring

actions we can take to attract diversity to our branch and become better people in the process. We are reading the book  “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo and discussing what we have read along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom.

The Zoom meeting code is 737 420 3780 or you can join using this link, which you can find here.

We will discuss the chapters 8, 9, and 10 on Dec. 9 at 7pm. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen. Contact information can be found in the AAUW Sacramento Branch Membership Directory & Handbook.