LWV OPRF March 14 Week in Preview
Eleanor Roosevelt
What better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than to hear Eleanor Roosevelt’s story told in her own words in a virtual performance on Sunday, March 20, at 2:00pm? Tickets are $25 and will benefit League programs.

This one-woman show presented by Schaumburg’s Lynn Rymarz is a fundraiser for the LWV OPRF. The Zoom presentation will be followed by a Q&A with Ms. Rymarz, who performs as famous women in history such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Hamilton, and Julia Child. Go here to purchase tickets.

Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Story, Her Day, is drawn from her writings, including her long-running newspaper column, My Day. Discover the path that led her on the journey to her marriage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to being the mother of six children, and to the White House, where she will tell you of her work during WWII. She will share with you how she gained the confidence to step out of the traditional women’s role and how she faced her fears, celebrated her joys, and grew from her struggles as a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. See and share the flyer here.
RFI Town Hall
Reform For Illinois will have a virtual Town Hall with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi on Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00pm. He will discuss the challenges and controversies facing his office, including the fallout from the tenure of his predecessor, Joe Berrios; the difficulties of assessing properties during COVID; criticisms of how the office has balanced commercial and residential assessments; and the role the assessor can play in creating a more equitable Cook County. You can register for this free event here.
Women's History Month News
On Tuesday, March 22, the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest presents Jeanne Schultz Angel speaking on "Universal Suffrage: Looking Back and Forward." This will be in person, from 7:00-8:00pm, at the Museum, 129 Lake St., Oak Park. Go here to learn more and to purchase tickets.

For the month of March, the Oak Park Library's Children's Services Team has created a kids' self-paced, interactive indoor scavenger hunt featuring 25 interesting, inspiring, and trailblazing women. Stop by the first floor service desk for details.

This month's Feminist Four Newsletter from the LWV Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Summit, New Jersey, highlights women in STEM. You can read about Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu, Nuclear Physicist; Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut; Lisa P. Jackson, Chemical Engineer; and Lisa Gelobter, Computer Scientist; and their achievements here.

Read the story of how March 8, International Women’s Day, came to be celebrated and the role that a Russian emigre, Theresa Serber Malkiel, played in its recognition.  In 1909 and into 1910, she supported a huge strike of shirtwaist workers dubbed the “Uprising of the 20,000" with financial aid, speeches, and columns. Read her story here.

Since 1990, the US has celebrated Harriet Tubman Day on March 10. Harriet Tubman escaped slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1849. She then returned there multiple times over the next decade, risking her life to bring others to freedom as a renowned conductor of the Underground Railroad. She was called “Moses” for her success at navigating routes, along with knowing safe houses and trustworthy people who helped those escaping from slavery to freedom. Articles about her speeches from this time are difficult to find because she was also often introduced using a pseudonym to protect her from being captured and returned to slavery under the provisions of the Fugitive Slave Act. 

The Violence Against Women Act that President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law continues the program through 2027. “This is a major advancement for protecting women from domestic violence and sexual assault ― a tragedy faced by one in three women in this country,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the bill’s sponsors. It includes new provisions like expanded access to forensic exams for victims of sexual assault in rural communities; new grants for community-specific services for LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence; and new jurisdiction to tribal courts to go after non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking, and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands.
Know your district
Do you want to know if your 2022 voting district has changed because of the census? Go to the Illinois Voters Guide to check. And share the link with your friends and family!
LWV UMMRR March Update
LWV US March 10 Update