Happy Thanksgiving

2025-2026 Branch Leaders

Executive Committee

President

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.      

President Elect

Martha Steele

Vice President Membership

Debbi Sochia                        

Vice President Programs

Martha Steele             

Secretary

Debbi Sochia    

Treasurer

Sharon Parson

Parliamentarian

Vacant

Standing Committees

Public Policy

Pat Sanford

Finance/Budget

Sharon Parson

Scholarships/NCCWSL/CU

Jeanette Pierce

AAUW Funds

Vacant

DEI

Vacant

STEM

Vacant

Governance

Jeanette Pierce

Appointed Positions

Membership Outreach

Adrien Frank

Community Coordinator

Claudia L. Walker, Ed.D.

Reservations

Martha Steele

Publicity

Michelle Burk

Historian

Rachel Skelley

Communications

Malinda Gaul

November Meeting

November 1, 2025

With Veterans Day coming up on November 11, we will be honoring our women veterans at this meeting. Please invite your women friends who are veterans.

Our speaker is Dena G. Short, retired U.S. Army Major who spent 26 years in dedicated service to our country. She will speak about honoring women veterans.

Ms. Short was a Medical Logistician, and later served as a Health Information Systems Officer. Her ability to lead in two critical positions was grounded in her ability to adapt and to mentor others. These attributes define her military career and continue to shape her leadership impact today.

After transitioning from active duty, she has become deeply committed to community service and service to organizations. She is a Diamond Life Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, where she furthers the sorority’s ideals of scholarship, service, sisterhood, and finer womanhood. She is dedicated to advancing collaboration among historically Black Greek-letter organizations. She has served as both president and vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council of the Tri-County, amplifying the voice of Divine Nine.

She also has organized the Royal Essence Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. Today, Dena is focused on expanding her reach within the community and shaping future leaders. She wishes her commitment to service and leadership continues to inspire generations to come.

Location

La Madeleine

722 NW Loop 410, Suite 200

Park North Center

San Antonio, Texas 78216

Buffet Menu

Chicken La Madeleine

or

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Fresh fruit salad

Redskinned mashed potatoes

Bread sticks

Cost: $19.00

Beverage not included

Vegetarian or gluten free entries may be ordered and paid separately.

We must have a count for the restaurant by October 29.

Please RSVP to steelemar@gmail.com

You may pay with cash (exact change) or check at the door, or you can make an electronic payment using Zelle to:

aauwsatx@gmail.com

Voting: Opportunities and Threats

Georgia Kimmel, AAUW Texas Public Policy chair, hosted the quarterly AAUW Texas Zoom meeting on October 16, 2025. The meeting titled Voting: Opportunities and Threats, featured three speakers who are experts in the field of election issues and processes. They discussed the upcoming fall election issues that are of interest to AAUW members and supporters.

Barriers to the Ballot are Growing.

Vincente Martinez, Jr., Texas State Director of VoteRiders, focused on Texas Voter ID laws, recent changes in the mail-in ballot, ID laws, and voter registration. VoteRiders is a nonpartisan organization committed to ensuring that every eligible voter is able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders helps voters get any ID they need and delivers accurate information about voter ID rules to communities across the country. Martinez said this is particularly important because the voter ID landscape has changed dramatically. 2021-2013 saw an unprecedented explosion of voter ID laws and bills requiring documentary proof of citizenship. Millions of voters could be directly disenfranchised because they lack an ID. This harm falls unequally on marginalized communities who are already underrepresented in our electorate.

Texas accepted photo IDs include:

• TX driver’s license, TX state ID card, TX Election ID Certificate
• US passport or passport card, US Citizenship Certificate, military ID, a TX handgun license.

Accepted Texas ID rules you may be unaware of:

• A suspended Texas driver’s license is acceptable.
• Voters must present a physical ID. Copies, images, or digital IDs are not accepted at the polls.
• Voters without an accepted photo ID can cast a regular ballot if they show a supporting form of ID and complete a document called Reasonable Impediment Declaration.

Only certain Texas voters qualify to vote by mail. Reasons for voting by mail include:

• Being 65 or older
• Being sick or having a disability
• Being away from your county while polls are open on Election Day
• Expecting to give birth three weeks before or after Election Day
• Confined to jail but eligible to vote

To visit the VoteRiders website for a wealth of information, click here https://www.voteriders.org

Nonpartisan Local Reporting on Elections and Voting

Natalia Contreas, Texas Reporter of Votebeat, covered various voting and election issues and ways they impact Texas voters. She also talked about Votebeat, a news organization committed to reporting about elections and voting. Votebeat is the only nonpartisan news organization in the US that focuses on covering election administration and voting access. It doesn’t report on politics or polls or who won or lost an election. Votebeat provides local coverage because elections are run by local jurisdictions. The organization is active in Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. All of the Texas articles are published in the Texas Tribune, on the Votebeat website, and in newsletters you may subscribe to. The latest coverage deals with hand counting ballots and redistricting. Efforts to hand count ballots haven’t stopped in Texas. Dallas and Travis counties are considering it. And although they found errors in 2024, Gillespie County will hand count ballots again in March 2026. The midcycle redistricting will impact election officials trying to prepare for the primary. It’s still unclear which maps will be used in March. Election officials are asking the state to halt the rollout of the updated system. In some communities the redistricting will cause voters to lose voting power. For additional information and resources go to https://www.votebeat.org.texas

The Texas Constitution

Bryan Henry, Professor of Political Science at Lone Star College, focused on the Texas Constitution. He explained the amendment process including what is required to remove an amendment once it is part of the Constitution. He emphasized the importance of voting on amendments. The first Texas Constitution, called The Constitution of the Republic of Texas, was written in 1836. Then came several other iterations. After the Civil War, as a condition for readmission to the Union, Texas was required to adopt a new state constitution. The Texas Constitution of 1869 gave voting rights to Black men and centralized power in the hands of the governor. The Constitution of 1876 was a reaction against the centralization of executive power. It established a government with limited powers and a weak executive branch to limit the power of the executive branch. This is the current constitution of Texas. It is not easily adaptable, requiring amendments to be passed to provide updates and make changes. Professor Henry explained the amendment process.



• Step 1 – Resolution (proposed amendment) introduced in the Texas House or Texas Senate.
• Step 2 – The proposal must have two-thirds support in both chambers of the Texas legislature.
• Step 3 – The Secretary of State prepares explanatory statement for newspapers that informs voters about intent.
• Step 4 – Voters choose to ratify or reject the proposal at the ballot box in the next election.

The largest number of voters participate in election year voting. Voter turnout is lower in off year elections. It’s typically around 15%. That’s why voting in off year elections is so crucial. A much smaller number of voters gives each voter greater power. The November 4^th election in Texas has 17 proposed amendments on the ballot. The League of Women Voters publishes a Voter Guide you can read online or in hard copy to help you make informed decisions on Election Day.  

Fifty-seven AAUW members from across the state logged in to the October 16^th Zoom meeting signaling a strong interest in public policy issues. Since the founding of AAUW, our members have rolled up their sleeves literally and figuratively to fight for women’s rights. We’re doing that right now through awareness, education, advocacy, and action. Vote on November 4^th. And remember, now is time to do more than you usually do. Talk about the propositions with friends and family. Volunteer to take people to the polls. You get the idea. Now act on it!

Pat Sanford

AAUW San Antonio Public Policy Chair

AAUW TX Public Policy Committee

Culinary Adventures is on a break while Brunch Bunch gets started.



AAUW Moviegoers (Let’s All Go to the Movies!)

Moviegoers! We meet on the last Sunday of each month (unless I miscalculate how many days are in each month and then I pinch hit, lol). I send out an email with a list of currently showing movies to vote on and then let everyone know the winning movie and location. Please join us! All are welcome! 

Our next movie is scheduled for Sunday, November 30th!

Call/text/email Debbi Sochia

dsochia@att.net

210-218-2675

What Does AAUW National Do?

Policy Advocacy: Focuses on national issues affecting women and girls, such as education equity, pay equity, and reproductive rights.

o   We coordinate our Public Policy Committees, participate in coalition work and partner with other prominent National organizations to raise awareness about our policy priorities (such as the YWCA for our Gen Z Town Hall in Philadelphia).

Subject Matter Expertise: We have historically produced in-depth studies on topics like the gender pay gap and women in leadership roles.

o   While we haven't produced reports recently due to limited funding - we have done high level analysis of recently released pay gap data. We are frequently asked to comment on topics related to pay equity, student loan debt and other issues related to gender equity. You can see our recently updated page on Latinas and the pay gap for example, here: https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/latinas-and-the-pay-gap/

o   We have tens of thousands of social media followers across all platforms and have well over 1 million website viewers - ensuring that our brand remains prominent and relevant. CEO Gloria Blackwell has been invited to White House events on at least three occasions recently.

o   On a Global level - Gloria is AAUW's representative to the UN - and our work in this capacity provides great reputational value related to global gender equity work.

Salary Negotiation and Financial Literacy Training: Offers training and resources for women to develop skills to be financially empowered.

o   In particular our Work Smart, Start Smart and Money Smart trainings provide valuable resources and tools for women to become economically empowered. Nationally we work with organizations such as the HBCU Career Center, Tri Delta, Coca Cola Foundation, Finra Foundation, SAGE and others to bring these trainings to thousands of women across the country. These trainings were developed and are updated and managed by the National office. They have been independently evaluated by two separate entitles and continually receive very high ratings from participants.

Fellowships & Grants: We award and administer over $6 million in fellowships and grants each year to hundreds of women in the US and Internationally. 

o   We also connect our members and branches to these awardees and alumnae and have an Alumnae Relations team charged with growing and maintaining relationships with our thousands of distinguished Alumnae.

Membership Services: Provides support and resources for local branches and members, including access to national networks and events.

o   We host all aauw.net websites, process dues, support 990 filings, and maintain our history and globally recognized brand. Without AAUW National - AAUW branches would instead be independently organized entities who would not be networked with one another or have the ability to utilize the AAUW name. 

In essence, while AAUW National sets the strategic direction and focuses on broader issues, local branches implement programs and initiatives that directly benefit their local communities. Together, our aim is to work towards the common goal of advancing gender equity.

Follow AAUW San Antonio on:

Facebook www.facebook.com/aauw.sanantonio