Conversations with Cecile
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Dear League members,
If you are like me, you may feel bruised and battered by the bills that are being hurled out of Tallahassee like ancient massive stones from a large catapult. These new legal weapons are targeting African Americans, women, LGBTQ+, and free-thinking educators from K-12 to higher education. The world as we know it is quickly changing. Basic First Amendment Protections have been put on deep freeze. The control of our schools is being manipulated by actions like emptying library shelves, outlawing the documentary on little Ruby Bridges (the notorious 6-year-old child who was the first to integrate into a southern public school), to the outlawing of African American AP courses, all because our state leadership sees no academic value in telling these stories.
According to our legislators, these stories and voices must be silenced because they may cause distress to the young who should be shielded from uncomfortable truths about oppression. However, this same rationale has been elevated to change the fabric and tenor of New College and other colleges and universities. Are they afraid that college students will cower in fear to learn about America’s difficult history and the painful steps to building a democracy?
Aside from trying to catalog the many detrimental bills and their negative impacts, the League is working hard to combat these bills with op-eds, testimony, working with allies, negotiating with opponents, and if deemed necessary, litigation. We are also holding press conferences, holding rallies, and giving press interviews with outlets like CNN, the Washington Post, USA Today, Tallahassee Democrat, Orlando Sentinel, NPR affiliate stations, the Miami Herald, Pro Publica, and Tampa Bay Times, amongst others. We are sharing our views and sounding the alarm and many in Florida and across the country are taking note. This is causing people to look at Florida. We will continue to share our news with the world.
The League is also developing new tools to do voter outreach and education. We have developed “Community Conversations” where we take topics of great interest and invite citizens to join us for a civil conversation from different points of view. That way, we can start to break down some of these silos that we have built around ourselves. After the last Community Conversation held in Sarasota, we had people that initially thought that tax dollars should follow the child say they had learned some new points and they were changing their mind about whether they supported private schools getting public tax dollars.
We have two more Community Conversations planned, as of now. One event will be this week, on Wednesday, March 29, in West Palm on the topic of how we are treating persons with felony convictions and their right to vote. The next event will be on April 16 on Higher Education. We are inviting panelists who agree with the DeSantis administration's recent actions and those who disagree. Both events are free and open to the public and will be live-streamed.
Please rest assured that your League leaders are not resting on our laurels. We get so many comments and suggestions from our many Leagues. We are using many tools that we have used in the past, and we are working on new tools to grab attention, convince, and changes minds. We all must continue our work to defend democracy and empower voters!
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Cecile M. Scoon, Esq.
President
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ACTION ALERT:
6-week Abortion Ban Headed to Senate Floor
The Florida Senate announced that it will hear the 6-week abortion ban on the Senate floor on Thursday, March 30. They announced this before the bill had even been heard in it’s final committee.
For months, Florida’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks has put lives and health at risk. This 6-week ban would only make things worse. Instead of addressing that harm, lawmakers are doubling down on their anti-abortion agenda. Everyone should be able to make decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures without interference from politicians.
The League of Women Voters believes every person deserves the access and the privacy to make their own reproductive choices, and we MUST fight for reproductive justice in Florida.
Email or call your state Senator and ask they vote NO on Senate Bill 300 IMMEDIATELY.
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Want to go a step further? Consider contacting all of Florida's state representatives about your opposition to this legislation.
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Vote-by-Mail Reset Toolkit
Due to Florida's Senate Bill 90 (2021), all registered Florida voters who want to vote by mail in 2023-2024 must submit a NEW vote-by-mail ballot request to their county Supervisor of Elections!
Municipal Elections are fast approaching in many parts of the state, and the deadline to request a ballot be mailed to you is 10 days before a local municipal election date.
LWVFL has created a toolkit with League branded assets to help spread the word about this. Please utilize this kit within your own networks and on any League channels you see fit.
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LWVFL Weekly Legislative Office Hours
League of Women Voters of Florida State Legislative Advocacy Chair Jennifer Adams hosts a virtual legislative office hour every week through the end of legislative session (May 5, 2023) on Wednesdays from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Pop into this virtual office space to discuss pieces of legislation, get live updates on the League's work in the Capitol and to share information with our state office and board.
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LWVFL Supports Florida's Right to Clean Water Amendment
The League of Women Voters of Florida has joined the campaign to support getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2024 for civil action to enforce our right to clean and healthy waters in Florida.
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Lunch & Learn Series
Our next Lunch & Learn webinar will be announced soon. Keep your eyes peeled for our announcement and agenda in your inbox.
Our most recent program featured a a program focused on various pieces of harmful legislation moving through Florida's legislative process that pertain to education and reproductive health.
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LWVFL Convention: Delegates
Local Leagues and Member-at-Large Units shall be entitled to delegate representation in a State Convention as follows:
(a) In addition to one president, a local League shall be entitled to one delegate chosen by members of the local League.
(b) In addition to one chair, a Member-at-Large Unit shall be entitled to one delegate chosen by members of the Member-at-large Unit.
(c) Local Leagues and Member-at-Large Units with more than 25 voting members, as of January 1 of said Convention year, shall be entitled to one additional delegate for each additional 25 voting members or major
fraction thereof. The record in the state office of paid voting members, as reported to LWVUS, shall determine the official membership count for this purpose.
Note: If a local League is not up-to-date with PMP payments, delegate representation may be affected.
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LWVFL Convention: Workshops & Caucuses
Filling out this form indicates interest in hosting a workshop or caucus during the 2023 League of Women Voters of Florida Convention in Orlando on June 2-4.
Please fill this form out in it's entirety and give additional information if appropriate. Workshops/caucuses will last for one hour and will be on either June 2 or June 3. If your workshop is selected, you will be contacted to schedule your workshop on one of these days.
The deadline to submit a proposal via this form is April 28, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
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Harry T. Burn Society Donor Appreciation
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LWV of Palm Beach County Co-Hosts Community Conversation Event
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Executive Director's Digest
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Hello League Members,
Last week, we had a very special visitor at the LWVFL office. Alura Graham came by and donated $250 to the League from her birthday bake sale. Every year, Alura and her family bake up a storm, promote the bake sale, and donate all of the proceeds to organizations that she believes in. When I told her what the League does, she said, “Mom, I think we found one of our organizations to donate to.”
Alura is 11. It warms my heart to see her generosity at her age. I know that her generosity and desire to help others will grow as she gets older. I hope that by learning about the League now may instill the need to do what so many Leaguers do… make a difference.
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I want to take this moment to thank our donors, like Alura, and especially those who have reached or surpassed our Harry T. Burns (HTB) level, which is an annual $1000 donation. With our fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023, our cycle begins again on April 1st. I encourage all of our HTB donors to commit again, if you can.
For those of you who would like to be a HTB donor and think you can’t, please consider making a weekly donation (just under $20), a monthly donation (just under $84), or a quarterly donation of $250 to hit your HTB goal.
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Leah Nash
Executive Director
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All statewide calls are in the Eastern Time Zone.
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Restoration of Rights
March 28 at 6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Health Care
April 3 at 5:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Immigration
April 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Cancelled - Passover. Chag Sameach!
(Previously Scheduled for April 5 at 6:30 p.m.)
Zoom Meeting
Reproductive Health & Justice
April 10 at 12:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Natural Resources
April 10 at 4:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
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Voter Services
April 11 at 6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Gun Safety
April 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Membership
April 13 (2 Meeting Times)
Zoom Meetings
Click your preferred meeting time above to join the meeting directly.
Education
April 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting - Meets Twice Monthly
Clean Energy
April 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Local Leaders
April 20 at 6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
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This biweekly newsletter is a perk of being a member of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Know of a League member who may not be receiving our email communications? Have them write to [email protected] to update their preferences.
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