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Dear League Members,
Leslie Lauderdale, a member of the State Centennial Planning Committee, reported to the Board that there will be a luncheon on February 14, 2020, the anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters of Illinois. This will be followed by a 100th Anniversary Commemorative Luncheon on Thursday, September 24, 2020, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.
I hope to see many of you at the Marijuana Town Hall this Wednesday, October 2, at Julian Middle School in Oak Park, starting at 7:00pm.
The panel will educate the public on different aspects of this issue followed by questions from the audience. You can see the flyer here.
Mark your calendars now for the first New Member Social of this year. It will be at the President's Home, 839 Fair Oaks, Oak Park, on Thursday, October 24 from 6:30 - 8:30. All new members and committee chairs are invited. Refreshments will be served.
Enjoy the lovely fall weather and have a Happy Halloween!
Beverly Graham
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Our first Second Tuesday discussion will take place on Tuesday, October 8. State Rep. Camille Lilly will discuss HB 2265, which she sponsored. This bill made Civics Education mandatory in Illinois middle schools. Be part of the conversation at the Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park, from 9:30-11:00am. Check out our the flyer here. Bring a friend or neighbor to join you!
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On Thursday, October 17, Drinks & Dialogue will start the year with a discussion on the "Importance of Local Media." Join
Dan Haley, Publisher, Wednesday Journal, Maria Maxham,
Editor and Reporter, Forest Park Review, and Michael Romain,
Editor and Reporter,
Wednesday Journal,
for a dynamic discussion on why local newspapers are so vital in
educating and informing our communities. Come for the refreshments and conversation at Shanahan's, 7353 Madison, Forest Park, from 6:30-8:00pm. Share the flyer with a friend!
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The LWV OPRF Kickoff on September 18 was a big success! The Oak Park Library's Veterans Room was filled to capacity, with 90 people attending to hear about criminal justice reform in Cook County. Of those attending, 35 were not League members, making this an excellent outreach event. If you missed the event, you can watch the video online
here
. Congratulations to all who worked so hard on all the details and to recruit our outstanding panel members Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board; Ben Ruddell, ACLU;
Sharlyn Grace, Chicago Bond Fund, and
Michelle Mbekeani, Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
(Panelists are pictured at the top of the newsletter.)
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Brandon Johnson, Cook County 1st District Commissioner, will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Monday, October 14, from 6:30-7:30pm in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park. He will be presenting a legislative update and overview of this year's Cook County Budget. Share the
flyer with your neighbors.
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All over Illinois, municipalities are forming Complete Count Committees to provide essential outreach for the most accurate and complete count possible next year. Recruited from local government, faith, educational, and community groups, these committees help reach residents who might otherwise miss key information about the Census. For example,
those who are homebound or those who live in limited access apartments or condominium buildings might not get counted because they don't know how or why they should participate. Want to know more about the Census? Check out this quick read,
Census 101: What You Need to Know
. Interested in helping to spread the word? The Forest Park or Oak Park Complete Count Committees could use your expertise. Contact Judith McDevitt for more information.
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The just released documentary film
"Suppressed: The Fight to Vote"
will be screened on Tuesday, November 5, starting at 7:00pm, in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park. Produced by the award-winning Brave New Films, "Suppressed" documents voter suppression in the 2018 governor's race in Georgia between Democratic state senator Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, then Georgia's Secretary of State. The 37-minute screening will be followed by a panel discussion of the fight to ensure voter access, fair elections, and fair district mapping in Illinois and Cook County, featuring Tonya Rice, Director of Elections for the Cook County Clerk's Office; Liliana Scales, Director of Advocacy at Change Illinois; Jay Young, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois; and a representative from the Illinois League of Women Voters. The event is free a
nd open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
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