Advancing Gender Equity for Women and Girls | |
|
MARCH 2024 NEWSLETTER
edited by Dottie Burk, Jeanne Lese, Cherie Sorokin, and Ann Vercoutere
| |
|
March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day- let's celebrate!
Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? If so, do you know that the roots of recognizing the importance of women’s history began in Sonoma County? Molly MacGregor, a teaching graduate at Sonoma State University in the late 1970’s, recognized that ‘all of us teach what we know’ and there was scant history of women available. And so it began. Gerda Lerner a nationally recognized historian championed the idea and by 1987 Women’s History Month was on the calendar.
"Inspire inclusion" is one of the themes of International Women's Day, celebrating the economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This March, let's explore some of the links in this newsletter about interesting women and AAUW history.
As we head toward our April 13th celebration of AAUW – past, present, future, we are reminded that we have followed the footsteps of many amazing women and now it is up to us to provide the footsteps and the support along the path.
| |
|
The AAUW-California Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of AAUW Marin have unanimously joined with the AAUW national board in encouraging all members to vote to support opening up AAUW membership. Member voting on the proposed bylaw change to eliminate the degree requirement for membership in AAUW begins April 3 and continues until May 15.
Have questions about this proposed change? Check out these resources:
Still have more questions? See us at the April 13th meeting!
| |
|
Chat with Leslie
We're off! The Fund team sent you a message mid February about the good work of the AAUW Fund and our branch goal –
100% Marin participation in the AAUW Fund this year! No matter what amount you feel comfortable donating - it is all about participation! We have a fun April event planned to celebrate how far we have come and remember that we still have much to do as women.
April 13th has a Suffragette Theme, so come wearing something white. We’ll have a beautiful blue sash for you - thank you Sarah Perry! Plus if you donate to the Fund, we have a special pin to add to your sash. The design is hush hush - you can try to get it out of Nancy Finston! We plan to celebrate AAUW Marin Past. Present, and Future with videos, interviews, pictures, and, of course, food. Please put April 13, 2-4 pm at The Key Room on your calendar and look for a mid-month message from Kathleen Clark!
Kudos!
Cherie Sorokin was elected president of the AAUW National Board! Congratulations Cherie!
Nancy Major, our Public Policy Chair, wrote 2 articles for AAUW-CA website. Check them out!
- The Branch Public Policy Events page features two Marin branch programs. Click HERE:
-
"Claudia Goldin Wins Nobel Prize in Economics for AAUW Aligned Research." Click HERE
Hope to see you soon!
Leslie O. Zimring
| | |
Something Different this Month! | |
|
Tuesday, March 26--A Conversation with Felecia Gaston and Elaine Petrocelli.
6:30-8:00 pm. Guzman Hall,
Dominican Campus. A co-sponsored event.
This month we are joining with the Institute for Leadership Studies and Book Passage to sponsor an early evening program on Marin City history. Yes, Felecia Gaston will join us again in an interview by Elaine Petrocelli. Please join us for this overview of the lives and struggles of Marin City's residents from its founders to those who live there today. Light refreshments will be served. Tickets, which include a copy of the book A Brand New Start, This Is Home, are $30 and are available on the Book Passage website or by using this link to Dominican Institute for Leadership Studies. Spread the word!
Anytime, Almost Anywhere--Mary Church Terrell and the Fight to Integrate AAUW.
If you missed this AAUW-CA webinar, we highly recommend watching the recorded video of the presentation. You can access it here. Terrell was a co-founder of the NAACP and became AAUW's first Black branch member, but not without a lawsuit. Interesting in and of itself, the video also makes you think about our efforts today to allow non-degreed women and men to join AAUW.
| |
Scholarship Fund Board Announces Awards
The AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund Board had its semi-annual meeting February 19. Due to the success of the Branch solicitation effort which yielded nearly $16,000 and a very successful auction which netted nearly $7,500, our branch fundraising goal was exceeded! The Fund Board allocated
- $10,400 to send 8 campers to Tech Trek 2024. (Part of this was funded by grants from Bon Air Center and the Fenwick Foundation.)
- $11,000 to college scholarships ($6,000 to Dominican University and $5,000 to add to the existing $1,000 held by College of Marin)
- $1,000 to endowments ($500 each to the Dominican and MCF endowments)
- Funds (TBD) to send two women to AAUW's National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) in May. Dominican and COM will each select their attendee.
| |
AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund Board members ( L to R): Laura O'Malley (branch Scholarship Chair), Nancy Lubamersky (President), Sarah Pruden (Branch Representative), Ann Vercoutere (Director), Dottie Burk (Secretary), Katie Wickes (Treasurer) | |
The Lubamersky family hosted a reception at Dominican University on February 6 to honor the 2023 AAUW Marin Ann Ruane Lubamerksy scholarship winners. To the left of Nancy Lubamersky is Whitney Bynum, a nursing major. Evet DeCota, right, is a psychology major. A third recipient, Mahnaz Sharoudi (biology major), was unable to attend. | |
AAUW Marin and the Marin Women's Hall of Fame
Did you know? In 1987 the Marin Women's Hall of Fame was co-founded by AAUW, the Marin Women's Commission, and the YWCA to recognize Marin women of distinction.
Once again, AAUW Marin sponsored a table at this year's celebration on February 8 where five new honorees were inducted. You can view a video archive of all honoree biographies dating back to 1988 HERE .
Also at the event, Marin branch president Leslie Zimring and Katie Koyfman, a commissioner on the Marin Women's Commission announced a new award, the Rising Vanguard, which will recognize woman under the age of 35 who exemplify leadership, innovation, and a deep commitment to fostering equity and opportunity in our community. Sherene Chen and Stormy Miller have agreed to represent AAUW Marin on the Rising Vanguard committee. Katie Koyfman will be the Marin Women's Commission representative.
| |
Member Joan Brown served as the MC of the induction ceremony. Gold scarves are worn by previous inductees. We are proud to have several within our ranks. | |
Marin branch attendees (L to R): Ann Vercoutere, Dottie Burk, Leslie Zimring, Afaf Meleis, and Cherie Sorokin. Note the gold scarves worn by Afaf and Cherie. | |
AAUW Marin Recruits Student Members
Mentors Wanted!
Deb Learner, new branch COM liaison, with the assistance of Gerrie Young and Leslie Zimring (in photos below) recruited student members at the College of Marin Resource Fair on February 14. Here's Deb's report.
Between September 2023 and February 14, 2024, nine students have become AAUW student associate members. Eight attend the College of Marin and one attends Dominican. Students completed interview sheets. Several new student members have mentioned that they would like an opportunity to meet with an AAUW member who has experience in their desired career path. These paths include art, communications, nursing, art history, and engineering. Members are invited to contact me: DLearner45@gmail.com to connect with a student associate member for mentorship/conversations.
| |
|
Did you Miss It?
Members of the Marin, Novato and Petaluma AAUW branches came together on February 24 for the annual Tri-Branch meeting at Homeward Bound's Key Room. A sizable crowd enjoyed brunch (love those scones and lemon curd!) and learned about the broad scope of services provided by the North Marin Community Services organization and the amazing job NMCS is doing in serving the needs of more than 10,000 individuals in Marin.
| |
Cheryl Paddock, CEO, North Marin Community Services, spoke on "Pathways to Resilience, Equity and Community Well-being!" | |
Leaders from the Novato, Marin, and Petaluma branches presented news from their respective branches. AAUW Marin president Leslie Zimring is second from left. | |
Sheva Feld
Sheva is one of our newest members. She is an actively practicing psychologist. She enjoys dancing, gardening, hiking and nutrition. She likes to cook and bake. We look forward to sampling her creations.
| |
| |
|
|
Susie Mariam
Susie was an elementary teacher in Tiburon for over 25 years and loved it. She enjoys being outdoors, golfing, cooking, entertaining, friends and family and traveling, especially to France.
She is obsessed with words, both new ones and word origins. She loves to read and eschews TV in favor of a book at all costs!
Susie is partial to great aesthetics in nature, in her home, and in food and clothing. And, she loves an animated discussion. Welcome Susie.
| |
|
Marilyn Black
Marilyn was referred to AAUW by a friend. She is one of the brave souls whose career was spent as an elementary school teacher. She enjoys traveling, reading and gardening. And cooking and baking- Along with Sheva (above) - there should be lots goodies to share.
| |
|
Congratulations, Joy Phoenix!
Member Joy Phoenix was recently honored with the Hal Brown Memorial Philanthropy Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Marin Valentine's Ball Foundation. The award is for her leadership and commitment to the health and well-being of young people in Marin.
Joy has been a volunteer for Side by Side (formerly Sunny Hills Services) for 53 year and has been the Glenwood Guild treasurer the last 29 years. She is one of the founding members of the Women, Leadership & Philanthropy Council (WLPC) at Dominican University of California. In the early 1980s, Joy founded the Marin County Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She was on the board of Youth in Arts for 15 years and led a crew of photographers every year documenting the Italian Street Painting Festival. She is a longtime volunteer for the Italian Film Festival and the Marin County Fair and has been on the Marin Cultural Association board since 2017. She has won multiple awards for her photography and has a studio at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.
Of special note, Joy has been a Program Officer with the Fenwick Foundation for 23 years. We are grateful that the Fenwick Foundation is providing $1,300 to sponsor a Marin girl to attend Tech Trek this summer.
A well-deserved honor, Joy!
| |
|
Ready to join a new interest group?
All groups welcome new members. Just contact the group leader for information or to be added to the group email list. For a list of all Marin branch interest groups with leader contact information, click HERE. Note: Interest Groups are just for members of AAUW Marin, but guests who may be thinking of joining are welcome to visit an interest group twice before being asked join.
| |
Art Tours
No art tour is planned for March. See you April 16 at the Legion for Japanese prints.
| |
Hiking Group
Our next hike is planned for March 5, weather permitting. We plan to go to Carson Falls in Fairfax. (We didn't make it there in February because of the mud and rain.) The hike will be about 4 1/2 miles. Please contact Ann Vercoutere if you are interested in joining.
Also there will be another hike planned for March 23rd, organized by Laura Phipps. Please contact her if interested; she will be sending out details.
| |
LitWits Reading Group
For its meeting on Wednesday, March 20, LitWits is reading and will discuss The Singapore Grip by English author J.G. Farrell. This is the last of three novels in his “Empire Trilogy” about the collapse of British colonial rule, and concerns the last days of British rule in Singapore in 1942. For April-June Litwits reads three novels by southern writer Walker Percy. LitWits meets 3rd Wednesday at 10 AM, in person or on Zoom. New members always welcome. Contact Ann Thomas if interesting in joining.
| |
What Are You Reading?
What Are You Reading book group will meet on March 11 from 10-11 on Zoom. Members share what they are reading. You always come away with a list of great books to read! Contact Cherie Sorokin or 415 730-0204 if you wish to join the group.
| |
Nonfiction Reading Group
The AAUW Marin Nonfiction Reading Group is meeting March 11 at 1:00 on Zoom to discuss One Summer by Bill Bryson. If you would like to be on the group’s email list and join us, please email either co-leader for the Zoom link: Phyllis Kuehn or Olivia Ruel . We always welcome new members! The AAUW Marin Nonfiction Reading Group meets the second Monday of the month at 1:00 on Zoom.
| |
Behind the Headlines
Note the change in meeting date: Because of Cherie's travel schedule, our March meeting will be Wednesday, March 27 on Zoom at 6:00 pm. Our speaker will be Ila Panik, an entrepreneur building U4U Teen, a new online business to support teen girls through the challenges of their adolescent years though innovative use of social media. Also note: members and others are invited to watch the recording of last month's meeting on the Gender Pay Gap with economist Jan Haveman of the National Economic Education Delegation as the speaker. You can access the recording here. Contact Cherie Sorokin or 415 730-0204 if you are interested in attending or joining the group.
| |
Happy Hour Group
Our next Happy Hour is Thursday, March 7 at 4:30 pm at the Flatiron, 724 B Street, San Rafael. Contact Dottie Burk if you would like to attend and/or be added to our email list.
| |
Meet Me at the Movies!
The Movie group will meet next on March 12. The movie selected and exact time and place will be announced closer to the date. In February, seven members saw American Fiction and had a lively discussion and dinner at Crepevine. The movie was a satirical and humorous look at racism and the quality of reading of the American public and was given a 4/5 by the group. Contact Mary Mossteller or Freddie Greene if you are interested in joining the movie group.
| |
Handcraft Circle
Handcraft Circle will meet next at Susan Gilardi’s home from 12:30-3pm on Tuesday afternoon March 19. All you need to be a part of this group is to bring a personal craft, knitting, crochet, art etc to work on during our time together. If any new members are interested in joining us, contact Mary Mossteller. We’d love to have you.
| |
Play Mah Jongg?
Join us for our weekly games on Wednesdays in members' homes 1:30 to 3:30. If you are interested in joining or would like to get on the list, email the group leader Chris O'Neill. We play American Mah Jongg. You need the card to play and should have a basic knowledge of the game. Chris can also give you information on where to take lessons, if you'd like to learn to play. Come join us!
| |
|
Homeward Bound Chef Events
Join members of AAUW Marin for an evening of culinary demonstrations and delicious food. Homeward Bound is focused on solutions to homelessness with a range of long-term supportive housing programs for families and adults. Local renowned chefs are featured and always guarantee a well-spent evening out and the opportunity to support this worthy cause. There are still openings for March and April. If you would like to be part of this interest group, contact Dianne Sheridan.
| |
So Much to Do, So Little Time | |
-
Petals and Ice Exhibit--This exhibition features internationally known polar explorer, geographer and San Rafael native Louise Boyd. Opening is March 16 at the Marin History Museum, 1125 B Street, San Rafael, The museum is open 11:00-3:00 on Saturdays, 10-2:00 Wednesdays-Fridays.
-
No Man's Land Film Festival, March 10, 3 pm at Santa Rosa JC - Petaluma Campus. AAUW Petaluma is presenting its second annual film festival featuring female directors and producers, showing strong powerful women overcoming physical, social, and mental challenges. For information and tickets click HERE.
-
Marin County Civil Grand Jury is looking for members, especially women, for the 2024-25 term. This is Marin's watchdog for local government agencies and services. Applications must be submitted by April 21. For more information, click HERE.
| |
- March 25: Mandatory Training Seminar for those participating in AAUW CA Lobby Days
- April 2-3: AAUW Lobby Days in Sacramento and on Zoom.
- April 3: Voting opens on the proposal to eliminate the degree requirement for membership in AAUW
- April 13: Honoring AAUW Past, Present and Future- Branch meeting at Homeward Bound from 2-4. Light snacks will be served.
- April 27: AAUW-CA Annual Event on Zoom
- June 1: Annual Spring Brunch at The Club at McInnis Park, 10-12:30
| |
Know Someone Who'd Like to Join AAUW? | |
|
AAUW women make an impact on women and girls.
Word of mouth is the best way to recruit new members!
Why Join? AAUW offers multiple ways to stay engaged with our mission of advancing equity for women and girls, as well as to develop friendship with others who understand that the fight for equality is still critical! Excellent national webinars! Engaging monthly branch programs! A wide variety of interest group meetings! Energetic, intellectually curious friends! A mission that is more important than ever!
CONTACT Chris O'Neill for membership information.
| |
|
© 2019 AAUW
AAUW is a top-rated 501(c)(3) charity. Donations are tax deductible.
| |
PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HIT THE UNSUBSCRIBE BUTTON BELOW YOU WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE AAUW MARIN NEWSLETTERS. | | | | |
