Tag Archives: Inclusion

Social Justice

Seeking Understanding By Lisa Howard

Kathy Papst and Carole Cline presented a fantastic overview of the history of our Constitution and voting rights at October’s meeting.  The Social Justice committee would like to build on this momentum and ask each member to take a moment to reflect and complete the sentences below:
1 “At the founding of the United States, some of the country’s most important political values were (Insert your answer here).”
2. “After .50 years of U.S. history, I would describe the country’s ‘track record’ of following through on those values and ideals as (Insert your answer here).”
3. “Right now, an outside observer would likely look at our politics and say we value (Insert your answer here).”
4. “When it comes to the United States as a country over the next decade or the next century, I want to see (Insert your answer here).”

Send your answers to Lisa Howard; her email address is in the Membership Directory . The committee will consolidate and share back responses with the organization in a future newsletter.

AAUW Funds By Karen Burley

As we head into the last months of 2025, please consider a gift to the AAUW
Fund. Women and girls can reach their full potential when the barriers holding them back are broken down. Help AAUW smash the obstacles that hold women back.

It is easy to give online where you will be able to choose which fund you would like to support. AAUW has three targeted funds:

  • The Greatest Needs Fund (9110) allows AAUW to pay its bills as well as stay nimble to respond to issues and needs as they arise.
  • The Public Policy General Fund (4514) aims to increase the number of advocates across the country and provide timely, accurate and actionable information about our key issues such as Title IX, student debt and pay equity.
  • The Defend Higher Education Fund (4513) elevates the critical higher education issues impacting women and provides strategic resources to students.

You can access the AAUW Fund donation information online <here>.

If you choose to send a check to AAUW, please make sure you write “AAUW Sacramento” in the memo line and include a cover letter specifying that you are in the AAUW Sacramento branch and where you would like your donation to be designated.

If you are planning to give by way of an IRA Distribution (or a Required Minimum Distribution), contact your account custodian to request a “Qualified Charitable Distribution.” The check, accompanied by your name and address information, must be sent directly from your financial institution to AAUW. Provide the recipient information below to your custodian, along with AAUW’s Tax ID #52-6037388. Before sending, please also notify AAUW by sending an
email to planned-giving@aauw.org so they can keep an eye out for your gift and be sure to include the amount, your name, address and the designation of your gift (for example: Greatest Needs), and the financial institution sending your gift. Please direct your check, drawn on your IRA account and made payable to AAUW, to:

AAUW
Attn: Planned Giving-IRA Distribution
1310 L St. NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005

You can learn more about Planned Giving <here>.

One other consideration for those of you who love this organization and want to see AAUW continue to fight for equity for all into the future, you can become a Legacy Circle member. This is a gift that you leave from your estate and there is no minimum amount. There are many ways to set this up; contact Charmen Goehring for more information. We have about 140 Legacy Circle members in California, including a number in this branch, and we welcome more! As Judy Horan says, “Live, Love, Leave a Legacy!”

If you have any other questions, please reach out to Karen Burley, whose contact information can be found in the Membership Directory. Thank you for your consideration as we move into the season of giving!

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.

April Book Groups

Book Group 1:
The Island of Missing Trees, by Elif Shafak, on April 10; coordinator is Susanna Mullen

Book Group 3:
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan, on April 23; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
This is Happiness, by Niall Williams, on April 9; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 8:
Flirting with Danger, by Janet Wallach, on April 28; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride, on April 17; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12:
Go as a River, by Shelley Read, on April 3; 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, Erasing History, by Jason Stanley, on April 2 at 7 p.m. We will discuss the preface through chapter 3. It is so timely for our current moment. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Lights: Our March Focus on DEI

Lights! Camera! Action!

Equal Rights for All

Our March Focus on DEI and So Much More By Barbara Smith

Even several days after the event, I am still so energized by all that happened during our branch meeting on March 15 that I want to share some of the highlights with all of you.

As we gathered, we had ample time to enjoy refreshments and view the amazing art on the walls of the Roberts Family Development Center before President Nancy McCabe called the meeting to order.  Then Lisa Howard and Jessica Waugh shined the lights on a challenging series of activities related to issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Each activity required thoughtful responses and an exchange of ideas by all of us. (action)  For example, we:

  • Answered individual quiz questions focused on Black History Month based on Lisa’s February Capital Ideas article
  • Watched a video illustrating intrinsic bias, how it develops and the devastating effect it can have even when neither party intends to cause harm
  • Used an illustrated handout showing a series of concentric circles called The Wheel of Privilege, which required us to place ourselves in various categories such as level of education, level of income, gender, etc. This required the most introspection and elicited the most open-ended discussion of the day! How do we see ourselves and people who are different from us?

About mid-morning, we were warmly welcomed by Tina Roberts (co-founder of the RFDC 24 years ago with husband Darrell).  She explained that their goal has always been to educate the family by providing after-school care, including homework help and teaching parenting skills.  They encourage family involvement on local school and other community boards to make their voices heard.  “Our community is only as good as its families, and we want to create a strong community,” she said.

I could go on and on, but I hope I have piqued your curiosity about the wonderful events of this memorable day, which reminded me of the importance of in-person meetings and open-ended discussions.  Talk to Lisa, Jessica, Nancy, Hedda, or me at the Author’s Luncheon on April 26.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

November Book Groups

Book Group 1:
Middlessex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, on Nov. 14; coordinator is Joy Clous

Book Group 3: 
No meetings in Nov. and Dec.; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
The Wager, by David Grann, on Nov. 13; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 6:
Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, on Nov. 18; coordinator is Susana Mullen

Book Group 8:
The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel, on Nov. 23; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
The Reporter Who Knew Too Much, by Mark William Shore , on Nov. 21; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride, on Nov. 7; 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 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 our current book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. We will discuss chapters 9 through the Conclusion chapter (pages 162-236). If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

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

September Book Groups

Book Group 1:
The Indomitable Florence Finch, by Robert Mrazak, on Sept. 12; coordinator is Joy Clous

Book Group 3: 
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride, on Sept. 25; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker

Book Group 4: 
Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby VanPelt, on Sept. 11; coordinator is Pat Morehead

Book Group 6: 
The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka, on Sept. 16; coordinator is Susana Mullen

Book Group 8: 
The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams, on Sept. 23; coordinator is Diana Squire

Book Group 10: 
Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation…., by David Mas Masumoto , on Sept. 19; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman

Book Group 12: 
The Great Divide, by Cristina Henriquez, on Sept. 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 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 our current book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. We will discuss all chapters through Chapter 4 (up to page 78). If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.

Civil Rights and the Right to Fight for Them

Sacramento Branch of AAUW Presents

“The Rights Stuff” Episode Seven

Civil Rights and the Right to Fight for Them

Lights, Camera, Action!!

                 Saturday March 16, 2024 – 11a.m               

Please join us at the Roberts Family Development Center (RFDC) to learn how this organization fulfills its mission: To provide services to the Greater Sacramento area that meet the individual needs of each family member. The services provide a holistic approach, focusing on Pre K-12th-grade academic support and enrichment, parent education and engagement, and community involvement and advocacy.

RFDC has been lifting up and supporting families living in the predominately black area of Del Paso and North Sacramento for 23 years.  The center provides afterschool care as well as mentorship at multiple underserved schools. It also runs the largest Freedom School program in the Sacramento area during the summer.  RFDC connects community members to programs such as the Black Child Legacy Program, which provides practical resources such as diapers and mental health services, and opportunities for expression such as parent groups and poetry jams.  RFDC offers mentorship and work experience to young people from the community as part of their staffing model for programs.

Join us in a conversation with the women who run RFDC programs about how their programs are designed to support the women and families in Del Paso.

Here are the details:

  • Address: 766 Darina Ave., Sacramento, CA 95815
  • Register on Eventbrite <here> no later than Thursday, March 14
  • Organizer: Lisa Howard
  • Want to add some extra fellowship and adventure? Colo’s Southern Cafe is right across the parking lot from RFDC and opens at 1:00 if you would like to continue fellowship and get a bite to eat – think soul food and seafood. The address is 2326 Del Paso Blvd.

Here are some ideas for more ACTION:

  • Explore more about the center by logging on to robertsfdc.org.
  • Sign up for the newsletter by providing your email address on their website.
  • Check out “How the Other Half Eats” and/or “Something Inside So Strong Lyrics” and/or “The California Reparation Report” with your internet search engine.