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-12^th 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.

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.

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-12^th-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.