AAUW San Antonio February Newsletter👈

Volume 112 Issue 6

2020-2021 Theme:

Economic and Physical Well-Being for All

Message from the President

We are in the month of Love – that doesn’t mean you have to go sign up for match-making services (for those who are “eligible”). It can, however, remind us that kindness, appreciation, hope, and faith in the good to come may be a most relevant and welcome focus for each of us, our country, and the world. With the inauguration accomplished and the start of a new presidency, let’s do all we can to help make life better. Be a Valentine to someone – do a loving act for someone you know or someone who needs it whom you may not know personally.

February is Black History month and we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on February 18th. We continue to celebrate our new Vice President, Kamala Harris -- the first woman, first black woman and South Asian-American elected. She will be a beacon of leadership, tenacity, energy, and an example for all women, girls, and our country. She will be the most trusted advisor to the President in executing his ambitious agenda, and essential in advancing equity for women, girls, and especially people of color.

As reported in our last newsletter, we are in the process of applying for the AAUW 5-Star National Recognition Program, having demonstrated success in areas that we anticipate will earn us “stars”. These include: monthly guest speaker programs that focus on economic security, member participation in dialogue with experts on pressing issues affecting women and girls; increased member giving to AAUW Greatest Needs; retention of membership and prompt payment of dues; increased participation in Legacy Circle; branch website featuring Start Smart/Work Smart, monthly newsletters, videos of monthly speakers, and annual scholarship offerings; public policy postings of key AAUW issues and initiatives; and a branch strategic plan that aligns with Texas and AAUW National strategic plans. We still have a couple of items to complete, but we are close to accomplishing all 5-Star areas by June 2021.

The slate of nominees for our 2021-2022 officers will be presented to members at the March General Meeting and included in our March newsletter, with voting at our April Annual Meeting. Consider running for one of the open officer positions and contact one of the Nominating Committee Members if you are interested. Details on the positions and Nominating Committee contacts are included in this newsletter.

Our annual fundraiser for the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund will be done through our new venture with virtual Bingo. Hosted by Malinda Gaul over Zoom, members will receive a virtual Bingo card (good for three games) by making a donation to the Greatest Needs Fund during the month of the Bingo game. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of January, March, and May at 5:00 PM – fun and prizes, along with fundraising!

I look forward to seeing all of you at our February 6th meeting, featuring Connie Tyne, Executive Director of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, speaking to us on gender-specific diagnosis and treatment. The agenda and Zoom codes will be sent to you that week.

Moving forward –

Cheryl Fuller

AAUW San Antonio, President

AAUW

ZOOMING!

February 6, 2021

11:30 a.m.

Speaker: Connie Tyne, MS, Executive Director, Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health

Topic: Gender Specific Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases

RSVP to Cheryl Fuller

(if you did not RSVP previously)

to receive the Zoom link.

cfuller5@satx.rr.com

One Size Does Not Fit All

Connie Tyne

Executive Director

Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health

Connie Tyne, MS, Executive Director of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, is passionate about the Institute’s mission to improve the lives and health of women through scientific research and medical education focusing on sex and gender differences and promoting more personalized medical care.

Connie supports programs in cities across Texas and the nation, from Lubbock, the home of Texas Tech University where cutting edge research at the chromosomal, molecular, and cellular levels has influenced different approaches to diagnosing and treating women and men for the same disease, to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where modules developed by the Bush Institute are used for teaching sex and gender-specific health. From the academic to the pragmatic, Connie Tyne and the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, put science to work to benefit women and girls.

Before coming to the Institute, Connie served for over 15 years in various capacities, including Executive Vice President of External Relations, at the famed Cooper Institute in Dallas. The non-profit Cooper Institute emphasizes lifelong health and wellness, primarily through nutrition and exercise but including behavior modification, healthy school environments, and effective medical care. Connie successfully brought together government agencies, private groups, and philanthropic individuals to advance medically based, scientifically proven and cost effective ways to achieve these goals.

Connie earned her undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University, with majors in Psychology and Education and her MS in Social Work, Clinical Therapy, and Behavioral Science at University of Texas-Arlington. She has conducted over 100 wellness seminars and contributed articles and interviews to more than 40 health and wellness publications. In addition, she has guided strategies for establishing wellness programs within hospitals and other organizations.

We look forward to Connie’s presentation at the February AAUW SA meeting.

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, January 27, March 24, and May 26.

To receive a virtual BINGO card, make a donation to the Greatest Needs Fund during the month of the BINGO game.

Then join Wine Women and Wisdom on the fourth Wednesday of that month at 5:00 p.m. for three virtual BINGO games with prizes.

DONATE HERE

Martin Luther King Jr.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 18, 2021, is the 26th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. The MLK Day of Service inspires hundreds of thousands of Americans to come together to serve their community. Individuals in all 50 states deliver meals, refurbish schools and community centers, and collect food and clothing. Volunteers also recruit mentors, support job-seekers, build homes and provide other services for veterans and military families, and help citizens improve their financial literacy skills. Our food shelf provides food many. Perhaps the observance of this holiday is a good time to consider volunteering.

Videos of interest:

Ruby Bridges on impact of service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKyQV0-z6HE&feature=emb_rel_end

MLK Legacy of Service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUdPxEn4vnM

Adapted from:

https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/mlkdaygov/about-mlk-day-service

Champagne and Chocolate Fundraiser

for Textbook Scholarships

February is the month for our annual Chocolate and Champagne Fundraiser for Textbook Scholarships. Since we will not be meeting in person, we will bring the goodies to you!

By the end of February, mail a check made payable to AAUW San Antonio to Ann Marie Rehner, 16 Grassmarket, San Antonio, Texas 78259.

$25 for Chocolate

$50 for Chocolate and Champagne

$100 for Chocolate, Champagne and a surprise!

AAUW Public Policy

Diversity, inclusion, and equity are terms we’ve heard often in the past election year. As we move forward in 2021 and beyond, our country will grapple with these issues. AAUW provides an excellent toolkit to help us lead the way in discussion and action.

For in depth information, go to the AAUW homepage.

For an overview, see the information below.

Diversity

Variety. That’s what diversity means in essence. But it also means that recognizing what makes us different and unique is important and, without taking diversity into consideration, we run the risk of excluding some individuals. Failing to incorporate diversity into what we do at AAUW – not just our membership, but throughout the organization – and aligning it to our organizational mission and goals can cause a catastrophic error that we may not be able to recover from.

As an organization, we are realistic: We don’t expect all our members to read a few definitions and become experts in diversity, equity and inclusion. So, these resources are meant as a guide to help answer some basic questions and to share additional resources that can be discussed and viewed as part of branch meetings, state conferences and the national conference. We hope to help build your diversity knowledge, equip you with the right tools and develop the capabilities to implement these actions.

Inclusion

Diversity is only the beginning, and it isn’t enough. To create truly diverse spaces, those spaces also need to be inclusive, where all parties feel welcomed, appreciated and respected — and have full access to all resources and can contribute to AAUW’s success.

As diversity advocate Verna Myers once said, “Diversity is being invited to the party, and inclusion is being asked to dance.” If you don’t have both, neither works.

Diversity vs. Inclusion

Diversity refers to characteristics, the dimensions that make each of us unique. Inclusion entails behaviors and actions that make us feel welcomed or not. An environment that creates a sense of belonging, where everyone feels welcomed and included, is essential for the success of diversity efforts.

Inclusion vs. Belonging

So, if diversity means the characteristics that make us unique, and inclusion refers to behaviors and actions, then what is belonging? And why is it important?

Belonging is feeling like you are a part of something, that you actually you matter. It isn’t necessarily about being liked — but rather being needed.

AAUW needs all of these things together — diversity, inclusion, and belonging — for our branches to continue to grow and thrive.

Equity

Every AAUW member should understand what we mean by equity. After all, we are the nation’s premier organization fighting for gender equity. We fight to narrow the pay gap for women, champion equal opportunity for women in education, and work together to support laws and policies that enable women’s success. So, you may wonder why we have a resource on a term we’re all familiar with: Because even with all our understanding, there’s still something we can learn.

Equity vs. Equality

Although these two words have the same root, they don’t mean the same thing. They are often used interchangeably, even though they differ in meaning. Equality means everyone gets the same access to — or amount of — something. Equity, by contrast, is about everyone having equal access to what they need to be successful. And those needs can be quite different.

You may be familiar with Angus Maguire’s images of three children standing on boxes to watch a ballgame over the fence. In the first image, each of the children has one of the same-sized box: equality. However, because the children are different heights, the shortest child still can’t see. In the second image, the tallest child, who doesn’t need a box to see over the fence, gives theirs to the shortest of the children, enabling all of the children to see over the fence: equity! The key difference here is fairness in the distribution of resources (the boxes) to each child enabling them to all achieve their goal (seeing the game).

Nominations for AAUW-SA 2021-2022 Officers

The Nominating Committee is tasked with developing a slate of nominees for our 2021-2022 officers. The Committee will present a slate of nominees to the membership at the March General Meeting. The names of the nominees will be sent to every member in the March Newsletter. The membership will vote for the officers at the Annual Meeting in April.

The open officer positions are:

President Elect 1-year term

Vice President for Programs 1-year term

Vice President for Membership 1-year term

Secretary 1-year term

Treasurer 2-year term

Members interested in any of the positions should contact any member of the Nominating Committee. Officer duties are described in the AAUW-San Antonio 2020-2021 Directory and Bylaws mailed to each member in September.

Nominating Committee Members:

Diane Claiborne-Carr, Chairman

Ruth Lyle

Ann Marie Rehner

Pat Sanford

Fran Vetters

AAUW-San Antonio Upcoming Programs

The programs for AAUW-SA 2020-2021 were designed to address: our theme for the year-“Economic and Physical Wellbeing for All”; current events that were and will drastically effect women, children, and families for years to come; plus, those issues of interest to our membership. Speakers for the first half of the year were very engaging and deeply knowledgeable and left us with information for personal use or group advocacy.

The second half of the program year will be exciting. The speakers are true pioneers in their field and active advocates for the plethora of women issues.

February 6, 2021 Women’s Physical Well-Being

Speaker: Connie Tyne, MS, Executive Director, Laura M. Bush Institute for Women’s Health

Title: “Gender Specific Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases”

Program: Many of us would be fascinated to learn that sex is manifested down to the chromosomal, molecular, and cellular level and why it may be more appropriate to think in terms of Sex-based medicine rather than Gender-based medicine. That leads to how sex-based medical research has influenced different approaches in diagnosing and treating men and women for the same disease and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s all-out decision to form a collaboration among the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Sciences. Ms. Tyne will explain this cutting-edge approach to providing better health care to women and girls and how it enriches their lives through community programs. Also, Ms. Tyne will discuss the fact that the Institute supports curriculum development for professors and health care practitioners at other university systems as well as the Mayo Clinic by supplying everything necessary to teaching sex and gender-specific health. And that’s just the beginning!

March 6, 2021 Women’s Economic Well-Being

Speaker: Dr. Dena Jackson, PhD, Chief Operating Officer, Texas Women’s Foundation, Dallas

Title: “The Economic Status of Texas Women Study, 3rd Edition”

Program: “The Economic Status of Texas Women Study” sponsored by the Texas Women’s Foundation. Economic Issues for Women in Texas takes a comprehensive look at the four building blocks that are fundamental to the financial security of a woman and her family: child care, housing, education and health care. This study reveals dramatic changes in our state’s demographics, and the challenges and opportunities we face in creating a more equitable society. Dr. Jena Jackson will share a summary of this research that examines both policies and practices at the state level, while identifying areas where innovation and investment can help strengthen women and their families. This information is used in interactions with elected officials to advance advocacy around priorities for women and families in Texas.

April 3, 2021 - Scholarship and Textbook Awards

Annual presentation of awards to scholarship winners by San Antonio AAUW.

May 1, 2021 Women’s Physical Well-Being and Women’s Economic Well-Being

Speaker: Jessica Cisnero, Immigration Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Laredo

Title: “The Physical, Emotional, Economic, and Legal Conditions of Incarcerated Immigrant Women, Children, and Families”

Program: For immigrants seeking asylum or a new start in the United States, the journey has ended in incarceration and the separation of families and children from parents. Where are the over 500 children taken from their parents and what is being done to correct the situation. Are children being educated under incarceration? What are the health conditions where immigrants are being held? There are a million questions about the immigrant status while incarcerated. Jessica Cisnero has been a recognized active civil rights advocate for immigrants since a teenage in high school. She is now a lawyer with the noted Texas Rio Grand Legal Aid in Laredo. Ms. Cisnero will bring us up to date on what is happening to immigrants.

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.