Women with Vision

Celebrating Our 78th Year!

Vol. 41, Issue 6, December 2024

On Saturday, November 9, AAUW member Dr. Karin Moore was a wonderful speaker on the topic of barriers to women in STEM. Thank you, Karin, for your insights and strategies for women in STEM. I had my mentee Lila attend and she was inspired by the presentation, as were we all. Also, thanks to our member Ilsa Garza-Gonzalez and Jackie Meza for all their help in having this meeting at Fallbrook High School. Jackie was a tech godsend for me in setting up the Smart Board. 

Patty Carlson

President-elect, Programs Chair

Dr. Karin Moore Presenting

Helena Hanna, Karin Moore, and Patty Carlson

Holiday Red Stocking Fundraiser and Party

Friday December 6

5:30 to 8:30

Location: Community Room–Rolling Hills Estates

THEME: It’s a New Old Fashion Holiday

This is a gate-guarded community, so it is VERY IMPORTANT that I have all the names of the attendees. If you have not already RSVP’d to the first EVITE sent, please do so as soon as possible.

Be sure to scroll down to the What to Bring section of the invitation and indicate what you will contribute to the potluck dinner. Also, please indicate in the RSVP the name(s) of any guests you are bringing. MEMBERS, please remember to wear your AAUW badge.

We will have the usual amazing holiday fare of the potluck dishes from our members. In addition, we will have DJ Jazzy Jake at the DJ board and a special appearance by our Fallbrook Chorale octet. We can even sing along if so inspired. 

Thank you, Sharon Robinson, for your support in procuring the venue. This is our main fundraising activity and we have Pam Eskue and Karen Estes to thank for streamlining our donation options. At the November meeting, they distributed envelopes with donation forms. These forms will also be available at the party, where you can place your donation in the Red Stocking if you haven’t already donated. See the link under "Red Stocking Fundraiser" below to download the form to mail a donation or to see instructions for electronic donations.

REMINDER; DRESS IN LAYERS. WE WILL BE INDOORS AND OUTDOORS.

General Meeting

January 11, 2025

Doors open for coffee and conversation at 10:00 am

Meeting starts at 10:30 am

Location: FPUD

Topic: The Pad Project 

Vicky, from the global non-profit organization, Days for Girls, will present the work being done to eliminate the stigma and limitations to girls and women associated with menstruation. 

Heard any great speakers that you think we should have for our meetings? Please send your ideas to Patty Carlson.

Friday, December 6 is not only the AAUW Fallbrook branch’s holiday party, but it is also the Red Stocking Annual Fundraiser. This is an opportunity to support several of our local branch’s programs, including the funding of college scholarships and the Tech Trek STEM camp for eighth graders. 

Donation forms are linked below and will also be available at the holiday party.  

Another consideration for supporting AAUW’s programs is to donate from your IRA if you have a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Because a donation to AAUW is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), it will not count as income and will therefore not increase your tax base. So this tax efficient way to donate benefits you as well as AAUW.   

If you are unable to attend the holiday party, or if you have questions about your IRA RMD, please contact Karen Estes at 760-468-4244 or Pam Eskue at 760-550-1143.

Baking Season is upon us! And no one is enjoying it more than member and mentor Carlene Friesen and mentees Sammy Rocha and Brisdania Martinez!

Sammy seeks a career in the medical field, and Brisdania aspires to go into law, but both have "raised the bar" for holiday baking championships. Though it's about the camaraderie and collaboration with each other, they extended the holiday happiness to Bart Simpson, a scarecrow from the recent Fallbrook Harvest Fair!

Bart Simpson helps select this year's

AAUW Holiday baking challenge.

Nancy Heins Glaser

always makes a good time better!

Decision made? Walnut Pumpkin Cake it is!

Bart finally has a place at the table! 

It's all we women have wanted for 100 years! 

In the Fallbrook Elementary School District, the race of our endorsed candidate, Connie Fish, is still undecided. However, Leif Hansen defeated our endorsed candidate, Leslie Summers. In the high school race, Josh Tiller lost to Oscar Caralampio, whom we endorsed. In Bonsall, Lindsay Jones lost to Eric Ortega, whom we also endorsed. Both bond measures in Fallbrook and Bonsall, which we endorsed, failed.

Our next public policy meeting will be held on a date to be determined during the week of December 9. Please contact Joy or Ann if you would like to join us. We will discuss our 2025 agenda, our speaker for the March program, and the Lobby Days effort in April. The planning for Lobby Days has already begun.

Lilly Ledbetter: A Beacon of Equality and Justice 

by Erica Dias, Member AAUW California Public Policy Committee

One of AAUW California’s Public Policy Priorities is economic security for all women, including equity in the workplace and enforcement of anti-discrimination statutes. On October 12, 2024, an icon in the equal pay movement, Lilly Ledbetter, passed away at 86. 

Ledbetter’s story is not just one of individual resilience; it embodies the ongoing struggle for women’s equality in the workplace. Lilly worked for nearly two decades at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and uncovered that she was being paid thousands less per year than her male counterparts. This revelation sparked a fire within her, igniting a campaign that would forever alter the landscape of equal pay in America.

In 2007, Ledbetter took her fight to the Supreme Court yet the Court’s ruling was disheartening; it stated that she had filed her complaint outside the statute of limitations. In response to the 5-4 majority opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg provided one her infamous and noteworthy dissenting opinions, calling out the eight male justices for their apathy. “The court does not comprehend or is indifferent to the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination,” she said, imploring Congress to act.  

Undaunted, Lilly remained a voice for many. Her activism ultimately led to the introduction of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which President Obama signed into law as his first piece of legislation. This landmark act marked a significant victory in the fight for gender equality, sending a clear message that pay discrimination would not be tolerated.

Beyond the legislative impact of the Act, Lilly became an icon of empowerment and perseverance, traveling the world and encouraging others to stand up for their rights. Her memoir, Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond emphasized the importance of awareness and action in combating workplace discrimination. At the peak of the #MeToo movement, her opinion piece in the New York Times linked workplace sexual harassment to pay inequity. Lilly, a feature film based on her life, premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2024, just two days before her passing. 

Lilly’s journey reminds us that individual stories can catalyze monumental change and that every voice matters in the quest for equality. The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) challenges sex discrimination in higher education and the workplace. The Fund has provided millions in support of hundreds of cases. View Past Cases and Current Cases to learn more. 



Ledbetter’s legacy shows us that change is possible through persistence, courage, and community. As we reflect on her contributions, we are called to continue the work of advocating for equality, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where every individual is compensated fairly for their contributions, regardless of gender. Together, we can continue to champion the cause of equality and ensure that Lilly’s legacy endures.

From Kathi Harper,

AAUW CA Public Policy Committee co-chair 

With the conclusion of the election, many of you are undoubtedly experiencing a range of emotions—sorrow, disappointment, and anxiety to name a few. This is not the outcome many of us had hoped for, and one that does not bode well for the causes we members of AAUW fight for and hold dear. It is easy to feel powerless, but there are actually a number of ways we can exert the power we still have. I encourage all our members to stay in the fight and find one or more of these actions that fit with your time, interest, and energy right now:

We need—now more than ever—to get the ERA archived by President Biden before he leaves office. The League of Women Voters has put together an excellent tool kit that explains everything you need to know about the current state of the Amendment, as well as a “take action” link to send an urgent message to President Biden and Vice President Harris. You can find it HERE.

We need to stay attuned to the efforts of AAUW National to continue to support our priorities at the Federal level. You can start by attending a webinar presented by our National Public Policy Chair, Meghan Kissell, on “AAUW Priorities in Light of the Election Results” on December 4th. You can register HERE.

We need to stay informed to stay prepared. If you missed it, please find an hour to watch an excellent webinar on Project 2025, the conservative blueprint that will shape the Trump Administration, that was presented by our AAUW California Public Policy Co-chairs Amy Hom and Melissa Maceyko on October 22nd. You can access the recording HERE.

We need to strengthen our resolve to keep California safe for women and girls and marginalized populations, by supporting the work that AAUW California does in furtherance of this goal. HERE you will find the latest edition of the Public Policy Committee newsletter, which reviews our legislative successes for 2023-24. Find out if your representative voted for any of these bills, and if so send them a “thank-you.” We can anticipate a fight ahead with an attempt by the Federal government to challenge the progress we continue to make in California to protect the rights of women and other marginalized groups – our legislators need to know we have their backs. 

This month, the Bibliobabes book club group met at the home of Lesley Ibaven. Comforted by Lesley’s freshly homemade scones and lemon curd, we braved a journey back to the Vietnam War. Our guidebook was The Women, the eye-opening novel by Hannah Kristin. It threw light on the invisible women of this war: the nurses who patched up the injured, kept company with the dying, and all too often, returned with their own physical and emotional wounds.

Our own extraordinary Charlotte Seidman was our guest and human guide. Like many Vietnam veterans, she held her war experiences close to her chest for most of her life, and it took real courage for her to open up some of those memories with us. As most of us recall, Vietnam veterans were treated with cruel disrespect upon their return home. Even for those who escaped that added trauma, it was often better to bottle up the memories and move on. We are grateful to Charlotte for helping us comprehend the experience of war through a woman’s and a nurse’s eyes. We learn empathy through stories.

We are also grateful to veteran Bob Ibaven, who shared his own experiences and learned about the women, along with us.

Here is the current reading schedule for the Bibliobabes Book Club. See the AAUW Fallbrook calendar for details each month.



December 16 — The Holdout

January 20 — TBD

February 17 — Good Material

Happy reading!

Cynthia Young

Bibliobabes Book Club Chair

Lesley Ibaven launching the discussion of The Women

 in her beautiful living room.

Charlotte Seidman sharing her experiences

as a nurse during the Vietnam War.

Ann McCarthy, Joy Frew, Elizabeth Stuver, and Elizabeth Leader

Elizabeth Leader and Cynthia Young

Margie Mosavi and Rachel Rose

Karen Langer Baker and Carlene Friesen

Vietnam Veteran Bob Ibaven was fascinated by Charlotte's stories. Servicemen who didn't need medical attention never encountered nurses.

The University Town Center in La Jolla is perfect this time of year. There were no crowds during our November 21 outing and the weather was beautiful. We walked around, stopping from time to time, encountering shops and eateries you will find nowhere else—like this Italian chocolate shop called Venchi (photo below). All chocolates are shipped in from Northern Italy. All the gelato flavors looked perfect (sadly, it was too early in the day for gelato)!

This month, we meet at The Naked Cafe in Carlsbad. Join us for breakfast at 10:00 am on Thursday, December 19. Afterward, let's wander around the shops and down to the beach as well. There's lots to see. 

You do NOT need to be a formal member of this group to attend. All are welcome. See full schedule here.

Rachel Rose

Hiking and Outings Co-chair

The Movie Review Group had a relaxed and enjoyable potluck and review at the home of Marli and Rick Shoop on Friday, November 15. Karen and Larry Baker reviewed the movie Here with Tom Hanks. 

Our next meeting will be Friday, January 17. Further details will be in the January newsletter. If you want to be added to, or removed from, the Movie Review notification list, contact Carole.

Carole Hodges

Movie Review Group Chair

AAUW Fallbrook’s ukulele group, The UkuLadies, meets every month to practice and learn new chords, harmonies, and strums. If you would like to join us in 2025, email Margot Dokken for dates, times, and locations. We always have a grand time.