January 2023
** * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * *
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM CELIA
Welcome to 2023! I wish all of our members and their families a happy, healthy year. I hope that those of you who were able to attend our holiday party had a wonderful time. A big thank you to Cathy and Charlie for hosting at their home.
Our January meeting (see separate article for details) should be very stimulating and informative. Jodi Balma, Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College, will explain the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision regarding reproductive rights and what can be done to lessen its draconian effects.
At our meeting I will appoint a nominating committee to recruit members to serve in the elected branch board positions (president; president-elect; vice presidents, respectively, for program, membership and Fund; secretary; and treasurer). If you would like to help the branch find next year’s leaders, let me know.
Speaking of branch leaders, about a week after our wonderful 50th anniversary celebration I looked through a personal folder of branch memorabilia that I had forgotten about and have kept for many years. One thing that I found was a computer printout list (dot matrix – which tells you that it is old) of the branch board members starting with our 1972-73 charter year and ending with 1987-88. In reading through it, I noticed many occurrences of 14 current branch members. I decided to put together a list, by year, of who did what and when. I think you will find it interesting as well. Go to About Us on our website, click on Branch History and go to the last page or two to see what I found. These women deserve a big thank you for shouldering the load many times. All of them have continued to take positions for many years since then and some are doing so this year.
And last, but not least, January birthday greetings to Tobi and Karen.
** * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * **
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Meeting & Program, Faith & Cathy
Thursday, January 19
Cerritos Library Skyline Room
Social time at 6:30
Program at 7:00 PM,
Business meeting to follow
Jodi Balma, Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College, will do a presentation on reproductive choice, the Dobbs Decision and what we can do about it. 
Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings. Members may choose to easily attend and participate in meetings by connecting via phone to another member in attendance and have been doing so successfully.
From the City of Cerritos: FACE COVERING IS OPTIONAL. It is strongly recommended, but not required, to wear a face covering when inside any City of Cerritos facility.
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.
We are looking forward to taking care of services for current membership. In order to increase membership for our branch, we request all members to bring one friend to our meetings. Please welcome our new member at the meeting. Thank you.
We still may have a non-event fundraiser or a Fund Luncheon this year. We are also looking at a few restaurants or fast food locations in which we would receive a portion of the profits for the day/evening. We would appreciate location suggestions.
$50 for 50
We hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday. We would like to thank those members who contributed to the AAUW Fund at our 50th Anniversary celebration which kicked off our “$50 for 50” campaign to celebrate and honor our 50th year. We will continue to celebrate our 50th year by asking each member to contribute at least a $50.00 donation to the AAUW Fund. As we have explained before, AAUW prefers contributions to the Greatest Needs Fund. However, you can always make designations to any of the AAUW Funds if you wish. We will have envelopes available at our meetings in 2023 for your convenience.
As members of the La Palma-Cerritos Branch, we believe in the mission to further equity and opportunity for women and girls. So, it is good to know what we have accomplished towards this mission by contributing to the AAUW Fund.
Monies donated to the Greatest Needs Fund are applied to these strategic priorities of AAUW: Education & Training, Economic Security, Leadership, and Governance & Sustainability. To get a better sense of what that means, here are some powerful impact numbers to share with you.
188,000 individuals have participated in AAUW’s salary negotiation programs such as “Work Smart”, which has enabled the participants to increase their economic security and improve opportunities for themselves and their families. In fact, 145 colleges and universities, including 32 minority serving institutions and historically black colleges offer these programs.
Over $6 million has been awarded to 320 women in grants and fellowships due to the fully endowed Fellowship & Grants Fund. This is a record for AAUW. Never before have we been able to assist women to this extent to achieve their educational goals which enables them to take advantage of greater opportunities.
The Fund has enabled more women to take a seat at the table in critical conversations advancing gender equity for women and girls. These include the White House Gender Policy Council, Speaker Pelosi’s Women’s History Month Celebrations, and the UN NGO Commission on the Status of Women, among others. More women are taking leadership and governance roles.
Now, pat yourselves on the back for supporting the AAUW mission. Together we can break barriers and make a difference!
Public Policy, Sondra
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWEA) has passed as an amendment to the omnibus bill and will soon become law. This act will allow millions of pregnant people to finally provide for their families, without compromising their health or pregnancies. This act will give pregnant workers access to basic accommodations, like carrying a water bottle and taking bathroom breaks. It will clarify that it is unlawful to discriminate against pregnant workers by forcing them out of their jobs, unnecessarily, or denying them reasonable accommodations. Finally, it prohibits employers from retaliating against pregnant workers who request accommodations.
AAUW advocacy took the form of countless letters to elected officials, meetings in person with policy makers, a rally at the US Capitol, social media posts, and more in order to help this bill become law.
Looking for Resources on Reproductive Health Coalition Building?
The following is from Ginny Hatfield AAUW CA Public Policy Committee.
Subject: Reproductive Rights Resources
- Want to join a coalition but don’t know where to start? Honestly, just reach out to your state Planned Parenthood. They will be able to connect you in with other vetted & trusted coalition members. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center?location=delaware#hc-per-state-list
- Where do we gather accurate data & analysis? The Guttmacher Institute is #1 in reproductive rights data & analysis, including drilling down to state-specific information. https://www.guttmacher.org/
- What about the legal battle side of things? The Center for Reproductive Rights leads on litigation and legal analysis. They’re a global group, so here’s the U.S. page: https://reproductiverights.org/our-regions/united-states/
- What if our members are asking how to offer direct help with the abortion access crisis, not general advocacy? Want to know who else is working in your direct community? Check with the National Network of Abortion Funds to see who is in your locality, and check with your local fund for volunteer opportunities. The local funds might also direct you to a “practical support network”, which includes simple help like driving folks to/from the airport/clinic/safe housing/etc. https://abortionfunds.org/
- Finally, the AAUW central hub for reproductive rights information: https://www.aauw.org/resources/policy/rallying-for-repro-rights/
Academic Achievement Awards, Joan P
Update: Haya Chehada
Haya is enrolled and attending her university of choice, USC. Her first Quarter has already begun. She has been named a Transfer Merit Scholar and has been awarded a USC Transfer Merit Scholarship worth one quarter tuition. It is renewable each quarter as she progresses toward her degree. Congratulations to this high achieving AAUW 2021 Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Help support other deserving women by donating to the La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Academic Achievement Awards fund.
TECH TREK
The two girls we sponsored for Tech Trek 2022 who attended camp at Whittier College in June were recently recognized by their school districts and, in the case of the Walker student, by the City of La Palma. Kristen V., an eighth grader at Walker Jr. High, was recognized on October 13 at a meeting of the Anaheim Union High School District board and on October 4 at a meeting of the La Palma City Council. Lyanne, an eighth grader at Ross Middle School in the ABCUSD, was recognized on November 1 at a meeting of the ABCUSD board. Both girls gave presentations about their experiences at Tech Trek. Past branch Tech Trek co-coordinator Edna Ethington attended the meetings with Kristen and branch president Celia attended the ABC meeting with Lyanne. Tobi Balma attended the two school district meetings to facilitate the girls’ presentations. Photos of the events follow.
ABC Board Meeting honoring Lyanne G. with Tobi and Celia.
La Palma City Council meeting honoring Kristen V with Edna.
Anaheim Union HSD meeting honoring Kristen V. with Tobi.
Su Casa, Joan Pylman
A big shout out to our members for their support of Su Casa. Our Holiday Wish List Drive was very successful. 28 members gave generously including 14 who gave numerous gift cards and 14 who gave goods including blankets, diapers, toiletries, children’s clothing, games and toys. All items were delivered on December 19th. If you missed the deadline, you can still donate through the Su Casa website.
Thank you for your support and generosity. La Palma Cerritos AAUW cares for women.
International Issues, Jackie Shahzadi
…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.