In this issue...
President's Message
September Featured Program
State News:
- Allaire State Park trip update
- Why Do You Donate?
National News:
- AAUW NJ's position on AAUW Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Law Restricting Reproductive Rights
News & Other Events:
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Women's March for Reproductive Rights - October 2nd
- Equal Rights Amendment petition
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Difficult Conversations: How to Talk About Race October 6th
- AAUW Shirt sale - show your AAUW pride!
- Somerset Hills raises $26,000 through book sale
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Save the Date: Strength of Women through Networking - November 10th
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AAUW
Together, we can reach gender equality in education, economic security, and leadership.
Our mission:
Equity for all
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I am happy to see how action-oriented our membership is as we launch into the fall season!
Our first AAUW NJ in-person event since Fall Focus 2019 was the social, fundraising get-together at Allaire State Park. Many thanks to Pat Baroska for taking the lead to bring members together safely!
I am sorry to report the passing of a Legacy Circle member, Sylvia Boback who was a very active member in the 1990’s – early 2000’s. She founded a branch at Rossmoor Village in Monroe Township, where she lived and also served on the AAUW NJ board. We thank the family for requesting donations to AAUW in lieu of flowers.
Saturday, October 2nd is a big day of action for women’s rights and equality – there is AAUW NJ Fall Focus at 10:00 A.M. and there’s a Women’s March in Washington, D.C. with supporting events being organized around the country. I hope many AAUW NJ women will be able to attend both, but if you have to choose, remember Fall Focus will be recorded and shared later. As you make plans to meet up with other like-minded women, remember to send them this newsletter and invite them to attend our events.
Don’t forget to wear your AAUW pins and badges whenever you go someplace to represent women working for equity for all. Every branch should have gotten at least one hand-banner at a past AAUW NJ meeting - use them to stage your group photos. Send pictures from events to [email protected] and include “Representing AAUW NJ” in the subject line, so we can use them in future newsletters.
I’m really looking forward to hearing Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill’s acceptance talk at Fall Focus, and seeing who we meet at the Women’s Marches. See you on October 2!
Karen Brown, President
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Fall Focus 2021
The Strength of Women
Using Your Political Voice
Saturday, October 2 at 10:00 am via Zoom
Agenda:
- The Strength of Women - Introducing our theme for the year
- Holding Your Representatives Accountable
- A Strong Leader - AAUW NJ Agent of Change Award
- Your Power in the Voting Booth
- Using the Strength of the AAUW NJ Charitable Trust
- Open Mic - post recording
Featured speakers:
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Edwina Sessons
President, NAACP Greater Delaware Valley, AAUW NJ Diversity and Inclusion Director
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Dr. Keturah Harris
AAUW NJ Public Policy Director
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2021 Woman As Agent of Change Award
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Mikie Sherrill
Congresswoman to New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District
Mikie won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. As a mother raising four children in New Jersey, she is a strong voice in Congress for New Jersey’s families.
She has authored eleven pieces of bipartisan legislation to fight the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, improve our healthcare system, strengthen our national security, and protect our academic institutions from foreign espionage.
She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and Education and Labor Committee. A leader in the freshman class, Mikie is Vice Chair and founding member of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus.
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Allaire State Park trip was a big success! |
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After a long absence from in-person meetings, about 20 members gathered on September 11, at Allaire State Park. Everyone enjoyed the Sunshine and sharing with other AAUW NJ Members from Central, Northern, and Southern Districts. Over lunch and during a scenic train ride, they renewed friendships, made new acquaintances and shared information and advice on branch activities. Over $400 was raised for the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund.
Many thanks to Pat Baroska who worked wholeheartedly to make this a great event for all!
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Why Do You Donate to AAUW?
For each of us, philanthropy is intensely personal and an expression of our vision of the world we hope to create for the next generation. When you make a planned gift to AAUW National, you become a member of the AAUW Legacy Circle and affirm your commitment to equity. These gifts, or bequests, are donations that you designate in your will, estate, or trust.
Sylvia Boback was a constant advocate for women and especially women’s education. She was a member of the Legacy Circle and very active member of AAUW at both the local and state level in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She served in many leadership roles and was part of the inaugural planning for Teentech which continues to provide STEM experiences to high school girls. She was one of those forward-looking people who believed in the mission of AAUW and became a member of the Legacy Circle to affirm her commitment to empowering women and girls now and in the future. Sylvia passed away on August 24th, but she will be remembered for her generosity and dedication to the principles of AAUW which will continue through her bequest to the American Association of University Women.
If you would like to share the story of why you donate, please send us an email at [email protected]
Nina R. Del Collo, Funds Director
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AAUW's Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Law Restricting Reproductive Rights
On September 2nd, Kate Nielson, AAUW’s Senior Director of Public Policy, Legal Advocacy, & Research, issued the following statement:
"AAUW strongly condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to suspend implementation of a dangerous Texas law that would virtually strip individuals of their well-established, Constitutional right to control their bodies and erode their economic security. The nation’s highest court is enabling a vicious system of vigilante lawsuits that aims to turn citizens against one another in furtherance of the most extreme anti-choice agenda. This ruling, which bypasses Constitutional review, effectively abolishes a pregnant person’s ability to make personal choices. Curtailing reproductive rights is a seismic affront to all Americans and AAUW vows to ferociously fight to ensure quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all."
AAUW NJ’s position is in support of the upcoming Women's March, and we encourage our members to participate on October 2nd in support of women's reproductive rights.
There are marches throughout NJ (see below), some start in the afternoon so you can catch them after Fall Focus. Don’t forget to put “AAUW NJ” on your posters so people know there are others who stand with you. (printable logos for AAUW NJ here)
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October 2, 2021
in D.C.
The march, planned for October 2nd, is in response to the recent Texas legislation limiting reproductive freedom for women.
There are marches planned on this date all around the country, eleven of them right here in New Jersey: Montclair, Cliffside Park, Hoboken, Springfield, Basking Ridge, Warren, Red Bank, Toms River, Willingboro, Haddon Heights and Glassboro. You can search for one closest to you here.
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ERA NOW
Remember the ERA? It's back on the table. Tell the Senate THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT ON EQUALITY.
Women's March has a petition calling on the US Senate to remove the arbitrary time limit placed upon the Equal Rights Amendment.
In January 2020 we reached the requisite number of ratified states to pass an amendment and in March 2021 the US House adopted H.J. Res. 17 to remove the time limit placed upon the Equal Rights Amendment with bi-partisan support.
Now it’s time for the Senate to vote and pass S.J. Res. 1 to remove the arbitrary deadline and finally move forward with ratifying an Equal Rights Amendment.
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Difficult Conversations:
How to Talk about Race
Wednesday October 6th
at 6:45 p.m. via Zoom
The Camden County and Willingboro Branches of AAUW NJ invite all AAUW members and friends to join them in a discussion about race, facilitated by Edwina Sessons, NJ-AAUW Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Edwina Sessons is the AAUW NJ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director and a member of the N.A.A.C.P for many years. Edwina currently presides over the Greater Delaware Valley Branch NAACP of Burlington County. Ms. Sessons is active in the Willingboro Branch of AAUW NJ and worked as a Learning Consultant to teachers in the Camden City and the Hamilton Township Public Schools.
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Show off your
AAUW spirit!
AAUW
empowering women since 1881
$20 each (incl. shipping)
Sizes S, M, L, XL, 2XL
Pickup directly from Pat for better pricing. Coordinate your branch's orders for better delivery options (orders of 12 or more shirts). A limited number of shirts are available and ready for immediate delivery.
Orders or Questions? Contact Patricia Baroska, AAUW NJ Central District Coordinator, College University Relations
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Somerset Hills Branch - 71st book sale was held August 5 - 7, 2021, at the Bernardsville Middle School. Pandemic protocols required masks, limited the number of people in the building, and increased spacing, but otherwise things were pretty normal. About 80 non-members, including 36 high-school students, worked alongside 30 branch members, who put in more than half the 2100 person-hours, in an intense two-week collection and sorting period. Garden State and Madison Branch members brought book donations and several Madison members stayed to help with sorting. Approximately 500 shoppers attended on each of the three sale days. Some of the more valuable, collectable books are sold on eBay where the branch has non-profit status, so no fees charged. After the sale, some remaining books are collected by local charities, but most are loaded by volunteers into gaylords (4' x 4' x 4' boxes) on pallets and sent to Thrift Books, which returns a share of their profits to the branch. The sale grossed over $26,000, approximately the same as in recent years, and we gained several new members!
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Save the Date:
Strength of Women Through Networking
Wednesday, November 10th, 7pm via Zoom
Zoom Meeting Room Opens at 6:45; program begins at 7:00
Hear from our AAUW NJ 2021 NCWSSL Student Leader on strenghtening your career position through networking
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Future dates:
- Thu, Dec 9, 7:00 pm - Unconference State VP Program - Zoom
- Sat, Mar 19, 2022 - AAUW NJ Spring Convention - in-person, members and guests
- Wed, Apr 27, 2022 7:00 PM - Full board, open, formal reports - Zoom
- Sat, Apr 30, 2022 10:00AM – Annual Meeting – Business Meeting only - Zoom
- Sat, Jun 4, 2022 Leadership Transition - in person, with branch leaders
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If your branch is forwarding the AAUW mission in some way, please share your activities with [email protected]. We want to celebrate you!
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See what's happening on our social sites |
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