Advancing Gender Equity for Women and Girls

OCTOBER 2025 NEWSLETTER

edited by Cherie Sorokin, Dottie Burk, and Ann Vercoutere

We're All About Gender Equity--

With a Particular Focus on the Importance of Higher Education

AAUW’s mission statement: AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. 

Our strategic plan: The newly adopted national strategic plan hones in on the importance of higher education in advancing equity for women.

Our public policy principles: Our principles are broad (no pun intended) to allow flexibility for particular action when needed, but they also hone in on higher education in several ways. You can read our principles here, but the “short story” is that they focus generally on issues related to

·      Education,

·      Economic Security, and

·      Social Justice/Civil Rights.  

Action Priorities for 2025-2027. Our action priorities focus on current challenges that are threatening the advance of equity for women and girls, particularly in higher ed, namely

·      Weakening of Title IX protections,

·      Biased, non-inclusive school curricula,

·      Lack of financial support for degree programs, and

·      Lack of access to paid leave, contraception, abortion care and affordable childcare. 

Additional AAUW California Priorities for 2025-2026. AAUW California’s priorities are similar but tied to legislative or local happenings in California, with an additional focus on increasing representation of women in leadership roles. AAUW CA also has a school board watch program focused on monitoring local school boards for compliance with law. You can check out the AAUW-CA public policy pages here.

AAUW CALIFORNIA NEWS

Fostering Connections and Social Change. The first of four zoom sessions to discuss the book The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves by Shawn Ginwright will be October 22, 2025, at 7 pm. Register using this link. Helpful if you read the first chapter of the book--From Lens to Mirror-- before the session, but all are welcome to participate even if you haven't read the chapter in advance.

Defending Democracy. AAUW CA is not making a formal recommendation on Prop 50, the proposition which, if approved, would temporarily alter California's redistricting process, but has identified a number of potential benefits of the proposition. Those benefits, which will be emphasized in this Fall's AAUW CA’s Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts, include

• Preserving wider democratic norms in California.
• Opposing Project 2025 implementation in California.
• Continuing to advance AAUW California's mission & public policy priorities.

AAUW California invites you to:

1. Check out the Proposition 50 and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) 2025 Guide - a set of resources to educate and support your GOTV efforts, including a Prop 50 Messaging Guide, Prop 50 Overview, FAQ, flier, voting timeline, and much more.
2. Join a webinar "Project 2025 Impacts on AAUW Values - One Year Later: How to Stop Ongoing Implementation" - Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 7 pm. Register HERE.
3. Send your questions about the Prop 50 GOTV campaign to publicpolicy@aauw-ca.org, OR attend office hours: Fridays 3-4 pm, Sept 26th, Oct 3rd, 10th, or 17th. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81730279210

Staying in Touch. The California Compass is AAUW-CA's new, more informal email newsletter. The first edition was mailed on September 10, 2025. If you didn't see it, check your spam or junk folder.

AAUW Marin News

October Branch Meeting

Join us at College of Marin to learn more about how they're supporting STEM women in higher education. 

Meeting with Damon Connolly:

Branch Public Policy Chair Cherie Sorokin has arranged a meeting with Damon Connolly on October 13 at 1:00 pm at his office in Marin. The purpose is to keep him apprised of AAUW's national and state public policy principles and priorities and to exchange ideas and information on ways to work together on issues we both care about. So far Barbara Strong, Kathleen Clark and Nancy Lubamersky have expressed interest in joining Cherie for this meeting with Assemblymember Connolly. We have room for one or two more. If you are interested in being part of the group, contact Cherie Sorokin before October 8th.

Our September 13 program in the Rose Garden at Marin Bocce in San Rafael was a treat. We met Marin and Novato branch Tech Trekkers (left) and their parents as well as members of our Tech Trek Alumnae Group (TTAG) (right). Also, in the picture on the right look for Angela Nuckles, Marin Tech Trek Coordinator, and Judy Kramer, TTAG Coordinator.

The AAUW Marin branch was proud to once again participate in this year’s Marin Senior Fair, held at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall on September 17. Many thanks to our enthusiastic branch members Chris O’Neill, Amy Anderson, Mardi Diamond, Paula Nichols, Katherine Brinnier, Laura O’Malley, Nancy Major, Sarah Pruden and Shari Shamsavari staffing our booth to greet visitors, answer questions, and distribute informational materials. The event provided a wonderful platform for AAUW Marin to share our mission, projects, and invite people to become members.

According to Deb Learner, branch COM liaison, AAUW had a productive time meeting with students at the College of Marin Resource Fair on September 10th. In the busy 1+ hour of the fair, we distributed AAUW information and engaged with about 45 people, asking two interactive questions: "Are You Registered to Vote? Yes or Not Yet" and "Issues important to me." Sixteen people thoughtfully responded: human rights, support for scholarships, women's rights, gender equality, support for mothers, and rise of fascism is a sampling of responses. Two students asked for further information about AAUW student membership.

AAUW Marin received AAUW's Five Star honors for 2025. (See us on the list above.) Out of 600 AAUW branches in the US, we were one of only 57 to achieve all five stars. Stars are given for Advancement, Public Policy & Advocacy, Governance & Sustainability, Programming, and Communications & External Relations. Congratulations to all involved!

TTAG coordinator Judy Kramer reports that in late August, our Tech Trek Alumnae Group invited the Petaluma TTAG to join us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine Mammal Center. During our tour, we followed the journey of "Boats," a real elephant seal pup who came to the center in 2022 with an obvious net entanglement around her neck and other issues impacting her health. Our docent Joelle (a former high school math teacher) gave each of us a job that exists at the center and had us determine which jobs came into play at each step of Boats' diagnosis, treatment, recovery and successful relaunch into the wild. Comments on our post-visit survey were all positive with everyone mentioning how much they learned and hoping we repeat this tour every few years. We are grateful to the Marine Mammal Center for giving us a scholarship to cover the cost of the tour. 

Wendy St John is a wildlife biologist as well as a biological illustrator who recently started teaching at College of Marin. She is still settling in. Wendy got her BA in biology and Masters in Biology, both from Sonoma State. Her interests vary wildly: from speaking Spanish to video games to musical performance both voice and guitar to birding and crafting and thrifting.

Member KUDOS

To Paula Nichols on the recent publication of her book Picking Raspberries: A Flash Memoir of a Minnesota Girlhood, illustrated by her son.

Interest Group News

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.

Bocce

The next big event will be held October 14 at the Albert Park Courts in San Rafael at 10am. You don't need to know how to play! Come for the fun. Contact Ann Vercoutere if interested.

Nonfiction Reading Group

The AAUW Marin Nonfiction Reading Group is meeting Monday, October 13, 1:00 pm on Zoom to discuss Lies My Teacher Told me. Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. by James W. Loewen. If you would like to be on the group’s email list and join us, please email Phyllis Kuehn for the reading list and Zoom link. We always welcome new members! The AAUW Marin Nonfiction Reading Group meets the second Monday of the month at 1:00 pm on Zoom.  

French Conversation

Chères Francophiles, notre heure de conversation en français sera mercredi le 8 octobre chez Rulli Larkspur 1:30-2:30. À bientôt! Pour les informations: Janet Lynn or 415/755-8486

The Happy Hour group enjoyed the ambiance at Above Fifth, the rooftop bar at the AC Marriott Hotel in San Rafael on September 4. A beautiful evening and a beautiful view.

The Farther Afield Museum group ventured to di Rosa in Carneros on September 26 for a docent led tour.

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