AAUW San Antonio May Newsletter👈

Volume 112 Issue 9

2020-2021 Theme:

Economic and Physical Well-Being for All

Message from the President

Here we are almost at the end of another AAUW year. This one has been altogether a new experience as we made it despite Covid and all the ways it has changed our lives. Though not over, we have “powered on” and figured out ways to meet, enjoy each other (albeit remotely), and participate with some great speakers on issues critical to our organization, women and girls. This year, we have raised money for AAUW priorities, exceeding the year’s goal of a 25% increase in Greatest Needs Giving, in addition to fund-raising to help support awarding 5 Graduate scholarships and 9 Textbook scholarships. Looking ahead, over our summer break, Wine, Women, and Wisdom will continue to meet, as will the Book Discussion group. The current board and newly elected board members will meet in June to plan for next year, beginning with our membership meeting on September 4th. Please let us know your ideas on subjects or speakers you’d like us to consider for our monthly membership meetings.

We had great turnout this year for our meetings and interest groups. Although we likely will start next year in the Zoom mode, let’s hope that we all see continued progress to make it possible to meet in person. Congratulations to our new board members and many thanks to our current board, committee chairs and interest group leads. Special recognition goes to Ann Marie Rehner for stepping in as our Treasurer this year; Kathy Dicke for her 2-year service as VP Membership; and Mynda Holman McGuire as Secretary. Diane Claiborne-Carr will pass the baton to Martha Steele as VP Programs and Diane will be our President-Elect; Rachel Skelley, our new VP for Membership; Kate Vetters, our Secretary; and Adrien Frank has hit the jackpot as Treasurer for a 2-year term! I look forward to my second year as your President and working with the new board.

Don’t forget about the May 1st elections -- plan ahead if you want an absentee ballot which requires an application each year. Early voting is April 19-27. In Bexar County, depending on the District, there may be many candidates, in addition to the mayoral election. Right now, there is a lot of potentially disruptive legislation being worked in the Texas legislature which, if passed, will make it more difficult to vote. AAUW Texas has voiced opposition to Senate Bill 7 which seeks to unnecessarily complicate voting, including voting by mail. Go to LWVSA.org where the League of Women Voters has tools and information on this upcoming election, including their interactive voters’ guide.

Another vote in the process is the proposed AAUW bylaw change to eliminate the degree requirement for membership. Online voting began April 7th and closes on May 17th. All members are encouraged to participate with their vote – watch for the email!

Our last membership meeting of the year on May 1st will welcome Jessica Cisneros, Immigration Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Laredo, Texas. Jessica will speak to us about The Legal Status of Immigrants Attempting Entry into the US and Incarcerated Migrant Women, Children and Families. She is a recognized active civil rights advocate and will be able to update us on the status of these critical issues.

Stay negative and remember: mask, distance, and hands!

Have a great summer --

Cheryl Fuller

AAUW San Antonio, President

AAUW

ZOOMING!

May 1, 2021

11:30 a.m.

Speaker: Jessica Cisneros

Topic: The Legal Status of Immigrants Attempting Entry into the US and Incarcerated Migrant Women, Children and Families

RSVP to Cheryl Fuller

(if you did not RSVP previously)

to receive the Zoom link.

cfuller5@satx.rr.com

What were you doing at age 26? Our next speaker, Jessica Cisneros, was running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Representative of Texas District 28. In 2019, she was challenging Henry Cuellar, who has held the position since 2003. District 28 stretches from Laredo to southern San Antonio. Although her bid was unsuccessful, she received endorsements from Emily’s List and Texas AFL-CIO, as well as from influential progressives, including Julian Castro, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Ms. Cisneros currently works as an immigration attorney at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Laredo office. She grew up in Laredo, where her parents had immigrated from Mexico.

She attended The School of Law of University of Texas at Austin on a Mithoff scholarship, a program with the goal of supporting law students who are committed to engaging in pro bono work to increase access to justice. As a student, Ms. Cisneros participated in the Immigration Clinic and the Criminal Defense Clinic. She completed internships with the Equal Justice Center in Austin, the Legal Services Organization in Austin, and the Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School.

Upon graduation from law school, she began a fellowship with Brooklyn Defender Services’ New York Immigrant Family Unity Project.

BINGO

Fundraiser

for

AAUW Greatest Needs

Our annual fundraiser for the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund will be virtual BINGO during Wine Women and Wisdom on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

To receive a virtual BINGO card, make a donation to the Greatest Needs Fund before May 26.

Then join Wine Women and Wisdom on Wednesday, May 26, at 5:00 p.m. for three virtual BINGO games with prizes.

DONATE HERE

Time to Renew Your Membership!

It is time to renew your membership for the 2021-2022 fiscal year which begins July 1. The dues are $91.00. If you renew by May 1, you will be entered in the Early Bird Drawing and one lucky member will receive free membership for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

To renew online, you received an email last month from membershipinfo@aauw.org. Open the link, click renew and pay with credit or debit card. Members who prefer to pay by check may write the check to AAUW-SA and mail it to Ann Marie Rehner, 16 Grassmarket, San Antonio, TX 78259.

Thank you for supporting AAUW!

Kathy Dicke

Vice President Membership

Not Your Mother's Workforce

The nature of work—what we do and how and where we do it—is constantly evolving. The pace of change will only accelerate in the years ahead, presenting new opportunities and challenges for the workforce as a whole, but especially for women.

Technological advances — particularly automation and artificial intelligence — will diminish demand for certain jobs: Though women make up less than half of the overall labor force, research suggests women are 58% of workers at highest risk of losing their jobs to technology. On the other hand, these changes will also increase the need for other roles, most significantly in the STEM fields, where women are vastly underrepresented.

New workplace models, such as telecommuting and gig economy, could allow for greater flexibility to enable workers to find a better job-life blend. But the downsides include greater competition for certain roles and, for gig workers, the lack of stable wages and benefits that full-time employment provides.

Finally, tomorrow’s workforce will be increasingly diverse, the byproduct of demographic shifts and a global economy. According to population analysis, by 2044 the full U.S. population will become “majority minority” — where the number of individuals who are multiracial and racial and ethnic minorities exceeds those of whites.

Moving Forward

For women to achieve economic parity in the years ahead, business leaders and policymakers must consider how the changing nature of work will affect men and women differently — and to make sure that risks and rewards are equitably distributed. Women cannot afford to be left behind.

AAUW SA Now a 5-Star Branch!

Late-breaking news – we’ve just received notice that, based on completing all requirements, we are recognized as an AAUW 5-Star Branch! Our last item submitted and approved was our Succession Plan, which provided our way forward on how we implement new ideas and keep the leadership focus on gender equity and economic security for women and girls.

AAUW National has indicated that our branch will be celebrated in the April 2021 national Membership Matters news hub and recognized as a 5-Star branch. Watch for the story that will be featured on the national website.

Our members’ commitment to the future of our SA branch and the work you all do to advance AAUW’s mission in our community ensures we will continue to meet the challenges now and into the future.

Congratulations to everyone!

Proposed AAUW Bylaw Change and Voting

It is time when members are voting on the proposed AAUW bylaw change. The proposal is for the elimination of the degree requirement as a means of making membership more equitable. Online voting began April 7 and runs through May 17. Paper ballots must be postmarked by April 30. Your voice is important, so please vote. For more information see the Open Membership Toolkit.

Meet Our Scholarship Winners!

So many talented and intelligent women! We had the privilege of meeting most of them via Zoom at our April branch meeting. Francesca Panazzo (SAC, Journalism) was awarded a Textbook Scholarship in memory of Alexander Gozur, the father of Malinda Gaul, a long-time committed member of AAUW at the branch, state and national level. The other textbook awardees are Gabriella Arredondo (Northwest Vista, Nursing), Blanca Castillo (SAC, Teaching), Socheata Chan (SAC, Information/Cyber Security), Monique Garcia (SAC, Social Work), Caprice Panazzo (SAC, Anthropology), Vanessa Quinones (SAC, Emergency Management), Khushleen Sidhu (NW Vista, Nursing) and Charmin Wong (SAC, Nursing). All the Textbook Scholarship winners are seeking an Associate of Arts degree. The committee had a difficult job ranking 43 excellent applicants, more applications than ever before! And, more awardees than ever before!! Their certificates and $500 will be mailed to them.

Graduate Scholarship Winners

Silke Gonzalez

Seeking an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UTSA. Silke moved from a small town on the border of Mexico to UIW where the nature of a big city was a significant change for her. Achieving her BA in Psychology, holding many leadership positions, and founding the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Organization at UIW, sparked her interest in counseling work. She hopes to provide culturally competent services with trauma clients by creating meaningful relationships with each client to develop individualized focused goals.

Shaima Khalaf

Seeking a MA in English at St. Mary’s University working towards a doctoral program. In Iraq, Shaima worked as a teacher, a student guide, an assistant principal, and event planner. Now Shaima’s professional goal is to teach English as a college professor or in the writing and publishing field.

Laura Macom

From the Oblate School of Theology seeks a MA in Spirituality. She previously attended the University of Texas at Austin as a Texas Achievement Award winner and with support from a Texas Press Women’s Scholarship. She then attended Southern Methodist University School of Law where she excelled at advocacy and graduated as the Best Advocate of her class and one of ten students to be named to the prestigious national Order of Barristers. Although Laura had a solid career as an attorney, her heart longed to be in a ministerial profession where she hopes to make spirituality accessible and alive in our community in a practical and deeply personal way not only to her own fellow parishioners, but to those in need of spiritual nourishment.

PhD students in Counseling Psychology at Our Lady of the Lake University:

Kindra Marietti

Does well in implementing theory in practice. She is looking forward to off-site practicum sites where she will have the opportunity to further experience university counseling centers and hopefully a practicum opportunity with the Veterans Administrations, where she knows there is always a need to help give back to those who have served our country. Even though she is still fine tuning her career specifics, she is committed to a career as a psychologist.

Valerie Perez

First achieved an MA in Forensic Psychology at the University of Houston-Victoria. During that program, she was able to gain clinical experience at different mental health sites where she witnessed several barriers that kept some from receiving treatment. This was a catalyst for Valerie’s pursuit of her counseling program to increase the access to care for racial and ethnic minorities.

Their certificates will be mailed to them and their $2,000 will be deposited into their school accounts.

Thanks to the committees for their hard and productive, yet gratifying work in evaluating the applications. The Textbook Committee: Mary Ellen Pratt, Diane Claiborne-Carr, and Pat Sanford. The Graduate Committee: Diantha Perelli, Jeanette Pierce, and Patricia Tucker.

We are happy to be able to invest in the education of these young women who will follow after us and carry the torch, so to speak, into the future.

The Two-Minute Activist

The Two-Minute Activist is a source of information on topics relating to women’s issues. It also enhances our ability to send emails and texts to legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more. Sign up on the AAUW webpage to get regular alerts to be able to take timely action.

You can also text “AAUW” to 21333 to get AAUW action alerts via text.