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Dear League Members,
Greetings from our mid-holiday season!
Our December Holiday Social was a huge success, with over 40 participants showing up at Maya del Sol to celebrate. Everyone liked the table layout, which enabled people to sit together to enjoy the delicious food and drinks with friends as well as new members.
Our Executive Committee held the December meeting at Winberie's Restaurant for the last time as they announced recently that they are closing in January after 30 years in Oak Park.
We also bid farewell to Nancy Staunton, former League member, 2007 Hazel Hansen Award winner, and Oak Park Village Trustee. We honor her dedication and contribution to the Village and the League.
We are looking forward to our New Year Brunch on January 11 where guest speaker Claris Olson will inform us on Ranked Choice Voting, a voting option recently adopted by the state of Maine.
In 2020, you are all encouraged to attend the LWV IL Issues Briefing on February 15 at Northeastern Illinois University. Workshops will be held on Criminal Justice, Affordable Housing, Gun Violence Protection, Redistricting, and Immigration. Members are encouraged to register and carpool to this event.
We will continue our work in 2020 on Complete Count, Fair Tax, and Environmental Issues.
As we enter a new decade, we wish everyone a splendid New Year of working together to celebrate 100 Years of LWV with renewed dedication and working together for better government and voting rights.
Happy New Year!
Beverly Graham
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Second Tuesday will be back on January 14, 9:30am, with "Census 2020: Being Counted Really Counts." Don't miss this 3-village panel discussion with our Complete Count Committee leaders. Find out how you can help, and bring a friend! Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park. Read the flyer here.
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For our Drinks & Dialogue on Thursday, January 16, Tanya Pietrkowski, Director of Development of CARPLS (Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services), and the Honorable Catherine Schneider will come to talk about Issues Facing Unrepresented Litigants in the Courts. The judge is expected to be the main speaker, but Tanya will also tell us a little about CARPLS (a non-profit). Grab your seat early at Shanahan's, 7353 Madison, Forest Park, from 6:30-8:00pm.
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There will be a candidates' forum for the Office of the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk on January 14, 2020 at 4:00pm at Latham & Watkins, 330 N. Wabash, Chicago. Cook County will have a new Clerk of the Circuit Court for the first time in 20 years. Come hear the candidates' visions for reforming the office.
Maya Dukmasova, staff writer at the
Chicago Reader
and a freelance writer, translator, and photographer, will moderate.
All four candidates are confirmed to attend:
Richard Boykin, Michael Cabonargi, Iris Martinez, and Jacob Meister. This event is hosted by Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and American Constitution Society-Chicago Chapter.
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The 2020 LWV IL Issues Briefing is coming! Read more about all the workshops and register
here for the February 15 event. This is always a great way to learn about the variety of issues that League members are studying and advocating for. Instead of downtown Chicago, this Issues Briefing will be held at Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago. Mark your calendars now!
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Our League is working with the Oak Park Library to encourage young parents to report their babies and toddlers when they complete the 2020 Census. In late February and early March, we will be asking for volunteers to talk to moms or caregivers as they bring children to Story Time at the Library.
Young children are often overlooked and over 5% were not reported on the 2010 Census. Many public programs rely on accurate counts for this age group, for example, in determining funding for food stamps (also known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP), the National School Lunch Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
We want to be sure that parents include new babies, even if they are still in the hospital on April 1, the Census reporting day. If a child lives part time with each parent, the child should be reported where they are staying on April 1. All children staying at a residence should be reported, even if they are not relatives or have no other place to live, or are staying at the address only temporarily on April 1.
We also want to encourage non-English speakers or limited English speakers to respond. This could include caregivers as well as parents. The online Census form and the telephone line will be available in 12 languages other than English. Language guides will be available in 59 additional languages. And of course, the Census is legally required to keep all Census responses confidential. Data are never shared with any government agency or used by law enforcement in any way.
So this year please help us help our communities obtain a Complete Count this Census! Read more on this subject here.
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