Volume 82, No. 1, July 2020 COMING SOON!  Conversations on Racial Injustice (See notice in this issue.) Watch 13th on Netflix or YouTube, and check your email for upcoming Zoom meetings! July 1, 2020 Membership Renewal Please renew now! Summer Dine-Out/Take-Out Nights (See notice in this issue.) July 1—California Pizza Kitchen, Pasadena July 8—Paco’s Mexican Restaurant, Arcadia July 15—Canoe House, South Pasadena July 22—El Portal, Pasadena July 29—Matt Denny’s, Arcadia And more coming in August! View as Webpage Print the complete Voter Our History of Violence This special edition of the Voter is only the beginning of an effort to place a spotlight on institutional racism, the system of power designed to maintain it, and mechanisms to dismantle it. Read more President’s Message LWV-PA has a new president, with a key message and a critical mission in a turbulent time. In the coming weeks and months, Leaguers will be offered opportunities to further our goal of fighting institutional racism—and it starts with you . Read More What’s Going On You say one person does not make a difference? It is time to truly look at ourselves and make the choice to take action and make that difference, or compromise our integrity. Let us speak out loud and hard—and we can start by acknowledging our common humanity. Read more

Contents Our History of Violence President’s Message What’s Going On A Chokehold on Reform Focus on DEI A League Member Speaks Up What Can We Do? A Black Woman’s Perspective A White Woman Must Lead DEI A Poem by Beverly Lafontaine A Tribute and Farewell White Fragility Redux Bending Our Arc Directors, Officers, Staff Conversations on Race Take-Out Nights A Chokehold on Reform AB 392, signed into law almost a year ago, requires California police to lethal force only when necessary, not merely “reasonable.” And yet the largest producer of law enforcement policy manuals is refusing to step up to the plate and amend the guidelines. What’s being done (and not done) about this—and how can you help? Read More

July Units Unit meetings take place in smaller virtual settings to empower, encourage, inform, and uplift. Come join the Units each month except for June, July, August, and December. Read more Focus on DEI Next year our League will maintain a constant focus on DEI to integrate its goals into all aspects of our work. Over the summer months, expect a personal invitation from me to engage in small-group discussions over Zoom. I hope you will accept and give me the opportunity to get to know you better and to listen to your ideas on what we need to do. —Martha Zavala

A League Member Speaks Up Speaking back to power—about looting vs. lost lives. A meditation on REAL priorities.  Read more

What Can We Do? You ask what, specifically, YOU can do? Here’s a list, for starters—with plenty of links to actions you can take, from self-discovery to self-education to ways to approach local government and educational institutions. Oh—and vote, vote, VOTE!  Read More

A Black Woman’s Perspective As Michelle White can testify, racism and police brutality are hardly new. Will we be successful in pushing forward the League’s agenda to eliminate institutional racism and classism, or will we get the same old short-term “fixes”? In our call to secure meaningful long-term solutions, we should take advantage of the current heightened recognition of injustice and start real dialogues on the dozens of issues that shape the everyday lives of persons of color and our children. Read More

A White Woman Should Lead DEI This is a seminal moment in our history when those who benefit the most from inequity and injustice must take responsibility for that imbalance. This is a call to someone within the LWV-PA who, as a member of the dominant group that codifies organizational norms, can propel DEI forward. Read More

A Poem by Beverly Lafontaine   “The Summers of My Youth Stolen from Me”—teardrops in the Tallahatchee. A poignant meditation on Emmett Till.  Read more

A Tribute and Farewell  George Floyd was killed on May 25, by officers charged with protecting us—and now charged with murder. A memorial tribute by Betty Ford. Read More

White Fragility Redux  Time for a second look at this provocative book, which calls all whites to abandon their complacency and step up to the issue of racism, both personal and institutional. Read More

Bending Our Arc The cataclysmic events of the past weeks are, for too many, a familiar repetition of history. To make real change, we must start with some soul searching and ask if we have been mistaking true democracy for freedom from responsibility. Where do we go from here? A reminder of where we’ve been and a cautionary tale for the future. Read more

Directors, Officers, Staff A welcome to the new Board of Directors and Officers, and thank you to all for the good work of 2019–20. See the list of changes here.

Conversations on Race Prepare yourself—you will be invited (watch your email) to participate in some conversations—serious, challenging, and probably uncomfortable but rewarding. Here is your assignment—get ready to do the work of getting woke. Read More

Take-Out Nights A win-win-win: This League program will support local restaurants. We’ve signed up some of your favorites to benefit the League, the restaurants—and you! Read more

LWV-PA Board of Directors VOTER STAFF Voter Editor – Chris Moose Web Coordinators – Laurie Barlow, Peter Zavala e- Voter Coordinator – Gayle Oswald p- Voter Coordinator – Dawn Dawson The LWV-PA Voter is an electronic newsletter. The ten issues per year are free to members. Non-members may subscribe to the e- Voter for $20 a year by calling 626-798-0965 or emailing [email protected] . © 2020 League of Women Voters Pasadena Area. All rights reserved.

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