And we are finally getting it NOW!

Click here for a great video:   What AAUW does  Be proud!

The gender pay gap won’t close until 2119 at the current rate of change.
AAUW is doing something about it. Take action now!
Empowering women since 1881

April,  2021

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A Few Thoughts from, Beverly   

Can you believe April is here already and our April Board Meeting is on none other than April Fool’s Day? Then, for many of our members Easter is the first Sunday and who can resist those delicious chocolate bunnies and luscious filled Easter Eggs? I know I cannot and I remember Ma putting mine and my brother’s baskets in the freezer until Passover had ended and then we could have the treats. Next up is Earth Day on Thursday, April 22.

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. In 1990 Earth Day went global and in 2009 the United Nations General Assembly designed April 22 as International Mother Earth Day. Celebrated by more than a billion people Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world. I have been doing my part by having my landscaper plant several fruit trees around my home. Now I just need to wait a few years for them to produce a healthy harvest.

Please do not forget AAUW National Elections run April 7 through May 15 and we will be voting on a proposed amendment related to membership rules in the National Bylaws. We all need to vote, and no one has the right to complain if they failed to cast their vote to register their opinion.

Just a reminder that we will be having our Branch elections on April 15^th during our General Meeting.

Our meeting for April 15^th will be Judy Osuna, Community Outreach and Education Manager of the Alzheimer’s Family Center in Huntington Beach. Her presentation will be titled, ”The Art of Meditation and its Benefits”.

May we all look forward to Sweet Memories in 2021 by being well and healthy, staying home and being safe.

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Please welcome and support your new officers.  Remember that their job is to lead and encourage other members.  Please offer to help them when they ask.

Reminder to members:  As is written in your directory, the AAUW mail/email list is to be used for AAUW business only.  If you wish to share something personal with selected members, please verify with the members first, if they want to be included.  Members who find themselves receiving email they do not want should feel free to ask to be removed.  We’re all friends here.

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Meeting & Program, Karen, Nancy & Mary Ann

La Palma Cerritos AAUW General Meeting
Thursday, April 15th
Zoom Meeting
6:30 Social
Meeting at 7:PM

Looking forward to seeing you via zoom at our April 15^th meeting.  We look forward to a return visit from Judy Osuna and her topic will be Benefits of Meditation on The Brain and Body.  She is an inspirational speaker, teacher, licensed counselor and author.  She has had much experience helping people learn the art of meditation.  She has experienced her own EAT, PRAY, LOVE story traveling to India and meeting with Dali Lama.

Branch officer elections to be held on April 15^th during our General Meeting

Download our Brochure

Important information about upcoming AAUW NATIONAL ELECTIONS You should vote on.

This spring, AAUW members will be asked to vote on amendments to the Public Policy Priorities and bylaws, in addition to electing members to the national board of directors. Here you’ll find all the information you need on the proposed bylaws and Public Policy Priorities changes. The comment period is now closed. Voting will begin in April. Here are some questions and answers from members about open membership in AAUW. Thank you to National AAUW Board Member Cherie Sorkin for compiling them for us

1. AAUW has been this way for a long time. Why do we need to change now?

• Our continued relevance will be enhanced by eliminating barriers that limit who can participate in our mission of advancing equity for women and girls.
• Many corporate and foundation funders are unwilling or prohibited from funding organizations that have barriers to participation in the work of the organization. Corporate and foundation funding is essential for national nonprofits these days.  AAUW’s membership dues support only a small percentage of our work.
• As part of the country’s overall reckoning with systemic racism and inequality, much of which disproportionately affects women, it is time to recognize that our self-imposed barriers to participation are actually harmful, even if they once were understood to serve as a well-intentioned incentive to specific achievement.

2.. Won’t dropping the degree requirement end what is unique about our organization and our like-minded nature?

• Our mission isn’t changing and AAUW will continue to be unique in its breadth of programming, research, policy and advocacy, fellowships & grants, and grassroots membership.
• Having a degree does not make someone “like-minded”—We are like-minded in our support for advancing equity for women and girls.
• Having a degree does not make someone a better advocate for women or a better symbol of womanpower. Think Eleanor Roosevelt, Lilly Ledbetter, Malala, Greta Thunburg.
• Women without degrees can certainly be just as passionate about advancing equity for women and girls as women with degrees.

3. Don’t we need to honor the legacy of our founding mothers by retaining the degree requirement?

• Life was different 140 years ago when only a very few women were able to go to college or find meaningful employment after graduation. Today, women outpace men in earning degrees at all levels. Women also make up (pre-COVID) close to ½ of the total workforce in the U.S. But economic disparities and discrimination against women persist widely, despite our levels of education and participation in the workforce.
• AAUW can and should take pride in its past and present success in helping women attain higher education. The fully endowed Fellowships and Grants Fund will allow AAUW to be a leader in this area in perpetuity. Education is important and does make a difference. But it alone doesn’t guarantee equal treatment or opportunities for women, something our founders cared about deeply.  The battle to be fought is not just about education, but about equal treatment.

4. If the degree requirement is dropped, will branch membership increase?

• A rush of younger members to join branches is unlikely due to the age of most of our current branch members. However, more women in older age ranges may be interested in joining once the barrier is removed. We all undoubtedly have friends who are “just as smart,” just as interested in equality for women” not to mention “just as much fun” who can’t be members because of the current degree requirement. Many of us have been embarrassed by encouraging friends to join, only to find out they aren’t eligible because they don’t have a degree.
• Our degree requirement has shut out women with diverse backgrounds and perspectives – who may inject new energy into the mission. Younger women, in particular, view the fact that we have a barrier to entry that disproportionately affects women of color and women of lower economic status as contrary to our mission, elitist and discriminatory. Support from young women as members or donors or advocates for our mission is important to our long-term survival as a membership organization.

5. I’m proud of having attained my degree. Since college education is more accessible now, why do we need to drop the requirement?

• Getting a degree was a badge of honor for many of us, building our confidence and honing our intellectual skills, and also helping to prepare us for work outside the home. For some it was also a badge of honor that meant we could join AAUW, an organization that helped keep us intellectually stimulated while we were still at home raising children.  But, degrees are not the “badge of honor” they once were and many careers are now open to women without degrees.  Skyrocketing educational costs, childcare, elder care, transportation, working multiple jobs and language barriers are significant issues for women today that make it hard for women to get a degree.  Also going to college today has burdened women with two-thirds of the national college debt. Cost is a barrier many of us didn’t have “back then.”

6. Won’t we have to change our name if we drop the degree requirement?

• First of all, we’ve had a variety of names during our 180-year history.
• Today, AAUW is well-respected and high profile, particularly in its advocacy and research. We would not want to lose this position of recognition.  Many other organizations use only initials and didn’t formally change their names when one of the original words in the name became out of favor or inappropriate.  Think NAACP or YWCA.  Changing our name is not the issue to focus on. Opening our membership to a broader group that will work in support of the mission is the issue.
• Also, the full name has not been applicable for a while. “American” – we have worked internationally for over 100 years. “Association” – members dues now only comprise 15-20% of revenues. “University” – in 2005, membership was extended to people with associate degrees. “W” – in 1987, membership was open to men.

Tech Trek, Celia and Edna

We contacted the four girls we chose last year to attend Tech Trek to have them tell us their first, second and third choices of the week they want to attend virtual Tech Trek.  We were recently notified that all four were given their first choice.  One girls will attend July 12-16 and three girls will attend July 26-30.  (The other choice was June 21-25.)  The girls and their parents have been sent this notification as well as the link to the parent agreement and camper agreement forms to be completed electronically.  The families are in the process of doing so.  All of the follow up beyond the communication to have them select the week is being done directly by the AAUW CA Tech Trek team.

AAUW Fund, Esther, Thea

You can…
Create Change,
Advance Equity,
Empower Women and Girls,
By helping to raise money for AAUW Fund.

The La Palma-Cerritos branch of AAUW created our own memorial fund in July 2017, called the Alberta Brose Memorial Fund, to go to women who return to school just as she did.  We currently have completed our goal.  This was a short time, two year fund with a goal of $5000 for completion by June 30, 2019. The branch got CA State and National recognition for completion. Final donation has gone to AAUW Fund for Career Development Grants for graduate students returning to school after 5+  year absence.

Elsie Carbajal  is the recipient of our own Alberta Brose Memorial Fund.  We are proud!

Career Development Grants

Name: Elsie Carbajal
Award Year: 2018-19
Award: Career Development Grant
Institution: Brandman University
Location: Irvine, California
Discipline: Education
Degree and Specialization: M.A., Education leadership

Elsie Carbajal is a seasoned special education teacher who is passionate about meeting the diverse needs of public school students with special needs. Her goal is to strategically reform outdated practices that limit the growth and progress of the unique population she services. She plans to obtain her master’s in education leadership to collaborate with stakeholders and make informed decisions to enhance student outcomes in and out of school.

Sponsors:
4431 – Alberta Brose Memorial Fund
1262 – Laguna Beach (CA) Branch/Laguna Hills (CA) Branch
1285 – San Diego County (CA) Branch/Marilyn George Poluzzi
1298 – Los Angeles (CA) Branch/Dallas Shenk
1484 – San Clemente-Capistrano Bay (CA) Branch
4105 – Redlands (CA) Branch/Bernice Black Johndrew
1491 – Somerset Hills (NJ) Branch—Science and Technology

Public Policy, Sondra & Norma

Meeting via Zoom with the Representative of Assembly Member Sharon Quirk Silva

La Palma – Cerritos Branch Participates in
2021 AAUW – CA VIRTUAL LOBBY DAY!
By Norma Williamson, M.Ed. Public Policy Co-Chair

Four branch members: Tobi Balma, Diana Needham, Diane Merrick and Norma Williamson had the honor of participating in AAUW – CA Lobby Day on March 24, 2021. All members thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt they were making Women’s History by advancing critical women’s issues. They are interested in participating again!

Approximately 156 AAUW members signed up to participate from all across the state. Teams of 4 met virtually with state legislators and urged them to vote for AB 92 (childcare family fees), AB 62 (Garment Worker Protection Act) and SB 373 (Consumer Debt: Economic Abuse). Public Policy Chairs Kathi Harper and Sue Miller did an excellent job training AAUW participants in the 3 priority bills selected and providing them with a synopsis of each bill.

Assembly Member Eloise Gómez Reyes, (AD 47) and first ever female/Latina Majority Leader welcomed AAUW – CA lobby participants She described the challenges facing women today and described in detail her bill, AB 92, Childcare Family Fees.

Opening remarks were also delivered from Assembly Member Cristina Garcia (AD 58), Chair of the Women’s Caucus. She described the Caucus’ 11 priority legislation bills:

1. Addressing poverty – AB 27
2. Protecting Vulnerable Communities – AB 14, SB 4, AB 1225
3. Health & Safety – AB 124, AB 925, SB 352
4. Gender Equity – AB 1287
5. Access to Child Care/Family-Friendly Policies – AB 865, AB 1363
6. Workplace Equity – SB 62

Our branch members, Team 31, met for 30 to 40 minutes with representatives from the offices of Assembly Member Sharon Quirk Silva (AD65) and State Senator Bob Archuleta (SD32). These representatives only knew a little bit about AAUW but members filled them in with the history of AAUW and proudly described our branch activities. Senator Bob Archuleta’s rep said that he would tell his wife, a Ph.D. candidate about our work!

The following article was published in two local newspapers

American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Asks for Help to Enact the Paycheck Fairness Act
By Norma Williamson, M.Ed.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is asking the community at large to join us in advocating for the passage of H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act on behalf of American working women. For 24 years, AAUW has actively advocated and lobbied for passage of this bill. Now more than ever, American women need to receive equal pay for equal work.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated income inequalities as demonstrated by the massive historical unemployment rates affecting American women today. The AAUW 2020 report entitled “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap” states that “Between February and April 2020, women’s unemployment rate rose by 12.8% compared to 9.9% for men.” This has resulted in a “shecession” (a term coined by C. Nicole Mason, Ph.D. of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research) an economic downturn where 11.5 million women lost their jobs as compared to 9 million men who lost their jobs during the months of February through May 2020. Then in the months of August and September 2020, an additional 865,000 women were cut from the payrolls – 4 times the number of men seeking employment.

Throughout the years, research study after research study has documented the paycheck disparity between men and women for jobs of equal responsibilities. A full-time working woman earns 82 cents to a man’s dollar and women of color are paid even less:  Black women make 62 cents on the dollar and Latinas make 54 cents on the dollar. Even as college graduates with advanced degrees, women still make less than their male counterparts. “At the current rate, the overall pay gap between men’s and women’s earnings will not close until 2093 and it will take significantly longer for women of color to reach parity” (The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap Report, Fall, 2020).

H.R.7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, closes the loopholes of the 1963 Equal Pay Act by protecting workers’ rights to formally and informally discuss salary scales at their place of work without negative repercussions from employers, prohibiting employers’ retaliation against workers who raise questions and concerns about wage differences, requiring employers to prove that their salary scales do not discriminate based on gender, prohibiting the use of prior work salary history for setting the pay scale for new hires, allowing workers to sue employers for discriminatory wages based on gender and finally mandating training sessions for women to acquire the necessary skills to successfully negotiate higher wages.

Join us this March 24^th of this year, as we observe Equal Pay Day. Since 1996, women’s rights organizations have commemorated Equal Pay Day by wearing red to mark the struggle of women for equality and more importantly women have engaged in lobbying their state and national legislators for equal pay. This date symbolizes how far into the next year women must work to match what men earned in the previous year.

For more information, contact Norma Williamson, AAUW La Palma – Cerritos Public Policy Co-Chair at nvwilliamson@gmail.com

Academic Achievement Awards, Carol

I was able to contact the Foundation at Cerritos College and talked to the woman who is now handling the applications for the students. I told her we had $2,500.00 and would like to split it into two scholarships of $1,250.00 each.  One would go to a regular student that was completing the first two years of school and would be transferring to a four year college.  The second one would go to a woman that had been out of school for 4 or more years and was returning to finish her education.  I asked for no more than 15 applications.

The committee has now chosen two awardees, both outstanding and deserving women. We will be meeting and honoring them soon.

If you have any questions or further input please feel free to call or email me.

International Issues, Jackie Shahzadi

Women Graduates-USA

…through its global focus and reach, empowers all women and girls to create a secure and just world built on education, advocacy, friendship and mutual respect.

WG-USA is an online organization based in the United States focusing on global issues *Support and Advocacy for Refugee and Migrant Women and Girls
*Safe Access to Education
*Human Trafficking Advocacy and Action
*Women, Peace and Security

Join WG-USA at www.wg-usa.org

In 2019, Graduate Women International celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Centennial Celebration in Geneva, July 25-28. GWI was founded in 1919, by representatives of AAUW, and other international women’s groups. It used to be known as the IFUW, International Federation of University Women. Currently, Women Graduates-USA is the organization representing American women at GWI.