Be brave and learn about your end-of-life options from Compassion and Choices this Thursday, March 21, at our Drinks & Dialogue evening. The presentation will be by Catherine Marienau, Ph.D., who is a part of the local medical aid in the dying movement. In this interactive session, we will consider the importance of planning for end of life and explore options for persons with terminal illnesses. The presentation will be at Friendly Tap, 6731 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. The evening starts at 6:30pm with snacks, a cash bar, and engaging conversations. All are welcome. Bring a friend! Live music will follow the presentation.

Mark your calendars now for the April 17-23 One Earth Film Festival. Some of the events are in person and some are virtual. Many of the events are in Oak Park or close to it. You can read their newsletter which includes all the information about the events leading up to and during the Film Festival.

This year, LWV OPRF celebrates its 100th anniversary, culminating in a gala dinner on October 20 at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association. As part of the celebrations, we will have educational displays at the Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park Libraries, the OPRF Museum, and the Nineteenth Century Association during the months of September and October. The Centennial Committee is looking for artifacts to use in the displays--buttons, programs, flyers, delegate badges, banners, posters, whatever! As you do your spring cleaning, please save League materials and contact a committee member if you are willing to donate or loan them for the exhibits. Email Marsha Borders, Marge Massarello, or Mary Ann Porucznik to arrange a pickup!

University of Chicago scientists produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction (nuclear fission) on December 2, 1942. This first nuclear reactor was moved and rebuilt on Cook County Forest Preserve property in Red Gate Woods. As part of the Manhattan Project, a research facility and an additional reactor was built there. There will be a two-part program on Sunday, April 14 at the Sagawau Environmental Nature Center, 12545 111th Street, Lemont, to hear about this project. From 10:00am-Noon, David Dolak, Professor at Columbia College Chicago’s Science & Mathematics Department, will talk about this atomic legacy. Following the lecture at 12:30pm, there will be an optional hike of 3 miles to Site A where the nuclear reactors were buried. The trail is grass, dirt, some tree roots, and asphalt. The trail is not for everyone as it is moderate with some elevation gain; walking sticks or hiking poles would be useful. This in-person event is limited to 30 people. If you are interested in joining one or both parts of the event, email info@lwvcookcounty.org with your name, email, phone number, and local league name.

On Tuesday, April 9, at 7:00pm, there will be an Oak Park Township Town Hall meeting. At this meeting we will join Change Illinois in their Township project, the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative, in asking that a non-binding referendum question about redistricting be put on the Oak Park November election ballot. We need at least 25 citizens to show up to vote in support of this initiative. The referendum question that will be submitted is "Should the State of Illinois adopt an independent citizens commission for the federal and state redistricting process?" Petitions with at least 30 Oak Park citizen signatures are being submitted to get on the Town Hall agenda. This will be happening at other Townships across the state. The results of a referendum question are a great way to show our elected officials that voters want a change from gerrymandering to fair maps. If you are an Oak Park resident, please plan to attend this April 9 Oak Park Township Town Hall meeting in support of the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative. Questions? Contact Peggy Kell.

Our March Second Tuesday hosted a panel discussion with four library leaders from four suburban libraries. Jack Bower (Broadview Library District), Emily Compton(River Forest Library), Amy Compton (Bellwood Library), and Elizabeth Lynch(Addison Library District) shared their experiences with us.

Elizabeth, who chairs the Illinois Library Association Intellectual Freedom

Committee, discussed the book banning challenges in Illinois. She said that there were 76 separate incidents last year that included books, displays, and event challenges. Most of the challenges were in suburbs surrounding Chicago and were primarily focused on LGBTG+ books. Illinois ranked fifth in the number of challenges in 2023.

The panel shared three ways that we could become involved to stand with

libraries against book banning and censorship. Click on the links to learn more.

Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative by the American Library Association to empower readers to stand against book bans in communities across the countries.

EveryLibrary (based in Riverside) builds support for libraries and helps Americans fight book banning in their communities.

Regional Response Teams are volunteer led teams that are available as a

resource for libraries experiencing a challenge to library materials and may

provide support in a variety of ways: letter writing to a governing body, attending board meetings, connecting with a library staff member experiencing a materials challenge for advice, consultation and/or moral support, or researching and providing specific information/resources around a particular challenged book or resource.

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