WE NEED YOU! And WHY? By Liz Jordan

What?  AAUW in Sacramento began 101 years ago.  We achieved more than 1,200 members during the 1970s and the heyday of the second wave of the Women’s Movement.  We achieved some amazing things for Sacramento, one of which was helping to save many of the beautiful Victorian homes in downtown neighborhoods.  We have worked in this state and in this country for gender equity to much success.  So why should we continue to exist? 

Why?  There is so much work left to do.  Laws governing self-defense, sex-trafficking, equitable pay for equitable work, pregnancy protections, sexual harassment, rape and rape-culture, are just a few of the areas where we continue to work. The Equal Rights Amendment languishes in the U. S. Archives.

When?  This work happens because of you, our membership.  The Nominating Committee will be convening in a few months, and we will be calling members to step up to take on positions like President-Elect, Finance Director, Program Director, Funds Director.  These are must-have positions for the branch to exist; however, over the last few years, we have struggled to find members to take on these responsibilities.  This bears repeating:  In order for the Sacramento Branch of AAUW to continue to exist, we must have members willing to serve in these positions. 

How?  These jobs can seem intimidating and time-consuming.  Of course, they do take time; but we don’t do any of them alone.

• Many co-directors take on one position.
• The whole board works together to help govern the branch.
• We support each other in learning the necessary skills and achieving the necessary tasks.
• We have simplified each position, making each job easier to do.
• We are rewarded with a great sense of accomplishment, solid friendships and the appreciation of more than 180 members.

Who?  Historically, all kinds of members have taken on these jobs. Employed women, retired women, women with small children and grown children, dog and cat owners, horseback riders, chefs, accountants, seamstresses, analysts, homemakers, doctors, lawyers and candlestick-makers have all taken on these positions; they have survived the challenge and kept our branch working.  We need you.  Step forward now and volunteer, or say “yes!” when we call.

Just like Uncle Sam — AAUW needs YOU.

Membership News By Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew

By the time you receive this newsletter you should have received your new directory.  If you have not or want to purchase an additional copy for $5 please contact Donna Holmes at (916) 402-4714.

The following new members are listed in your new directory so feel free to reach out to them:

Please welcome new member Linda Howard, previously a member of the Roseville Branch.  Linda is a retired teacher and has also worked as a real estate broker.  She is interested in evening book groups and singles dining out.  Linda is located in Carmichael.

Our second new member is Stephenie Moczydlowski and she lives in Fair Oaks.  Stephenie is a retired nurse case manager and is interested in Public Policy as well as most of our interest groups!  She has been an active participant at two of the Great Decisions I.

We will be updating the Membership website as soon as possible.  Additionally, with Karen Burley’s help, the directory will also be posted in the members-only section of the website.

See you on Zoom for September’s Showcase or in PERSON at the Ice Cream Social in October and remember to bring prospective members who may join for the reduced rate of $69.50 for joining at an event.

Membership Update By Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew

Donna Holmes

Welcome to a new branch year, and your membership team is full of new leaders:

• Jane Cooley, who has done Sunshine for over a decade, is now playing with the next generation of membership, Ashley’s daughter!  We all owe her our gratitude for everything she has done in this position.
• Nancy McCabe volunteered to take Jane’s place, and the transfer of duties has occurred.  So, need a card sent?  Contact Nancy.
• Sharon Anderson is giving up Membership Treasurer and moving on to????  We will need her help for so long she won’t feel gone for many months.
• Donna Holmes, in addition to co-chair of membership, is taking Sharon’s position and plans on doing it for a long time.  The advantage for her is most everything is done from home, where she can keep her husband company, and she loves this kind of data-heavy work.
• Marty McKnew is the other co-chair of membership, and we all know how capable Marty is!
• Neither Marty nor Donna has ever worked with membership at the branch level. However, Marty served as Membership Vice President for CA AAUW for two years.  It is a good opportunity to learn more about AAUW and support the mission.

Membership History from the 19^th Century to the 21^st and Beyond

We will be exploring our membership history each month to illuminate how changes have worked over the last 140 years.  First:  In the beginning, members were hand picked by existing members and had to have attended particular universities.  The San Francisco Branch of AAUW is the second oldest branch in the United States, organized in 1886 as the Pacific Organization of Collegiate Alumnae.  The members were from UC Berkeley, Mills College and Stanford University.  We could still have Angela Scarlett, and Donna’s great-grandmother who attended California Collegiate starting in 1863, merging with Mills in 1864 — unfortunately she died in 1886.  Donna’s grandmother, Rebecca Suhr, was the first woman to graduate from the Stanford School of Law in 1903 and became a member.

We will move further into the 20^th century in a future article. Stay tuned!

Celebrating August Birthdays! By Sharon Anderson

Happy Birthday to All!

• Jennifer Krebsbach            8/5
• LindaPatterson                   8/5
• Marlys Huez                        8/6
• Nancy McCabe                   8/14
• May Ruth Lynch                 8/22
• Susan Rubinstein Szabo   8/22
• Barbara Smith                    8/25
• Vicki Nicholson                   8/28
• Catherine Locke                 8/31

AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

A WELCOME AND A FAREWELL

As we end our membership year, we are very pleased to welcome our newest member,

Bonnie Penix

Carmen L. Hobbs, to AAUW Sacramento. Carmen has a BS in nursing from San Jose State University and an MS from Sonoma State University in nursing leadership and management. She is retired from the position of nurse consultant with the State of California. She has a particular interest in working with our Public Policy and Scholarship Committees. She also is interested in joining Great Decisions, Cultural History, Readers’ Theatre and the Singles Dining Out groups. Carmen made a point of attending our final program meeting of this year on Zoom, and we are all eager to meet her in person as COVID restrictions are lifted.

Sadly, this will be the last column of our two-year term as co-membership directors and what a tumultuous two-year period it has been! The joy of our 100- year anniversary and the challenge of the COVID pandemic were only two of the events that shaped and influenced our term. We wish Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew the best outcome as they navigate membership during their two-year term.

Janice Stuter

ON MY (FINAL) RADAR (From Jan):

One of the last recommendations I would like to make as I end our stint in office: Instead of eliminating a degree requirement for members, why not add an “or” qualification that would extend membership to any interested women and men without formal degrees who have contributed to the advancement of equity for women by working with us locally, statewide, nationally or internationally as a volunteer, financially or otherwise, on projects related to our goals. This qualification would certainly broaden the net we are able to cast to recruit new members while still focusing recognition on one of our primary goals, education and equity for all women. We might also be able to award posthumous membership to those awesome women and men who fought for equity and are no longer with us. I hope National will explore this as an alternative path to more inclusivity in our organization.