Sept. 15 Kickoff Meeting with shareable feast, speaker. See you there...voter registration help needed...

Click here to read our Nonpartisan and Diversity,

President’s Message

As I write this, Al and I are headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Shaw Festival and to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. That’s a long time.

To put this milestone into perspective, I think back to the ERA Amendment, which is quite a bit like getting the right to vote for women. This was first introduced in Congress in 1923. A revised version was finally passed in 1972, the year we were married. This amendment went to the states for ratification, and Virginia was the final state to put it in the win column, on January 15, 2020. The U.S. House passed it, making it the 28th amendment to the Constitution, on March 17, 2022. So, you may ask, is it official? Well, no, it isn’t. Archivist of the United States David Ferriero has not yet certified and published it.

According to the NOW (National Organization for Women) website, these are the tenets of the amendment:

Domestic Violence, Rape and Sexual Assault: Require police officers to protect women from domestic violence and consistently enforce restraining orders.
Discrimination in Insurance: Require state insurance regulators to end sex-based discriminatory practices.
Pay Inequality: Provide a more effective tool for litigation on sex-based employment discrimination.
Pregnancy Discrimination: Underline the notion that reasonable accommodation must be made by employers.
Workplace Discrimination: Set more realistic legal standards for sex discrimination at work.

As you can see, these tenets align with LWVUS positions on social policy and securing equal rights for all. If you have any energy left after the fight for fair districts, I encourage you to write to President Joe Biden and urge him to get this amendment added to the Constitution. For more information, go to equalrightsamendment.org.

At the local level, the Kent League has several activities coming up that invite your active participation. There is an important mid-term election in November. The League been invited to several events to help register voters, and our Voter Services team needs you to sign up to help. This includes our next Voter Forum, which will be held on October 8 at 9:30 a.m. at the Kent United Methodist Church.

Don’t miss our Fall Kick-Off Meeting on Thursday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. More information is in this newsletter. We have a wonderfully engaging speaker. This will be a potluck dinner.

Also, hold the date, Saturday, December 10, for our Holiday Brunch. And, yes, this year we plan to celebrate in person.

Remember, this is your League. We are only as strong as our participating members, and this is a time when we need you all to help educate and motivate voters in our area. This is how we make democracy work.

We’re looking forward to a great fall—and year 51 of marriage!

In League, Unity and Equality,

Debbie

Fall Kickoff Meeting Sept. 15 at new Hobbs Hall; speaker will share good, not-so-good information about the evolution of elections

All members are encouraged to attend the annual Fall Kickoff Meeting of the League of Women Voters of Kent to get the new program year off to a great start, hear the latest about upcoming events, meet new members and catch up with current members. The event is set for Thursday, Sept. 15, starting with a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. The event is free. The location is the new Hobbs Hall at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, 228 Gougler Ave., Kent.

Members have the option of bringing a dinner item or dessert to share. Beverages will be provided. Please bring your own reusable or recyclable place setting. We may have LWV Kent mess kits on sale!

Following a welcome and announcements, President Debbie Barber will introduce our speaker: educator and Kent City Councilman Jack Amrhein. His talk, “Controversial Presidential Elections: Been Happening for Years,” will illustrate that conflict is not new when it comes to electing presidents.

Amrhein is a graduate of Kent State University with a degree in social studies and a minor in secondary education. He received his master’s degree in instruction in 2003 from Marygrove College. Amrhein worked as a social studies teacher in the Kent City Schools for 32 years. He has served on Kent City Council and the Kent Board of Health since 2008. Amrhein has been a trustee of the Kent Historical Society for the past 28 years, the last nine as president of the board.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the event, click here.

Jack Amrhein

Leagues of Women Voters across Ohio host nonpartisan, fact-based webinar on women's reproductive care amid Ohio's changing laws

Post-Roe: Women’s Healthcare in Ohio, Just the Facts

Thursday, September 8, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (EDT)

The Leagues of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights-University Heights, with cosponsoring Leagues from around Ohio, invite the public to attend Post-Roe: Women’s Healthcare in Ohio, Just the Facts. The virtual forum is scheduled for Thursday, September 8, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Registration is required (see link below). The League of Women Voters of Kent is a co-sponsor.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, there has been a swirl of information and misinformation about abortion and how restrictions on abortion access impact women’s health. This nonpartisan, fact-based event features maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive-health physicians and a noted legal expert to help participants develop a better understanding of these issues. Questions to be answered include the following:

What are the facts from a medical and legal perspective about abortion and reproductive care and the downstream effects of these restrictions?
What issues, situations and jeopardies are doctors, caregivers and patients actually facing?
What does the legal landscape in Ohio look like given the current bans, the pending legislation to further restrict abortion access and the impact of federal actions?

Panelists:

David Hackney, M.D., maternal-fetal medicine
Rebecca Flyckt, M.D., reproductive endocrinology and infertility
Jessie Hill, J.D., professor of law at Case Western Reserve University

Moderator:

Karen Kasler, statehouse bureau chief, Ohio Public Radio and Television

To register, click here.

Thanks from the Parks and Rec Committee;

parks map now available

From Parks and Recreation Committee chair Renee Ruchotzke:

Thank you to everyone who attended the July All Member Meeting to learn about the parks study and then participated in the consensus process that will inform our updated position on parks! Special thanks go to member Jenn Mapes, who created the parks map shown here. Click here to download the map.

And thanks from the League to the Parks and Recreation Committee for their work on the position update: Chair Renee Ruchotzke, Beth Buchanan, Chris Craycroft, Joanne Dowdy, Jennifer Mapes, Susan Paul, George Rose, Jane Preston Rose.

Voter registration at Kent State University new student events. Thanks to members Cassie Pegg-Kirby, Barb Hipsman Springer, Anne Reid, Sarah Ashley Cook, Jennifer Ruehr, Edie Grund and Alberta Bowman.

Voter registration is gearing up for fall with new events: KSU Black Squirrel Festival and Brimfest

Click through for the upcoming voter registration opportunities. The link takes you to a sign up program called Signup Genius.
Time slots are two hours long.
The schedule is designed to always have two people at the booth with one person rotating out each hour and another person joining.
Voter Services chairs will be in touch with volunteers to make sure they have all the information they need.
Need Voter Registration Training or a short refresher course? Click here for the LWV Kent Voter Registration Training PowerPoint on our website.
If you have problems with Signup Genius, call 330-697-5723.

KSU Black Squirrel Festival, Sept. 16

We get one parking validation for our table, so please consider carpooling. We can also reimburse volunteers for parking. To volunteer, click here.

Brimfest in Brimfield, Sept. 16 & 17

Location: Brimfield Historical House on Route 43 (near Wendy's).To volunteer, click here.

Art in the Park, Kent, Sept. 10 & 11

This is a fun shady location with lots of art food and music. To volunteer, click here.

Book Club digs deep into the history

of eating! Sounds delish . . .

The next Book Club meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 1:30 p.m. A Zoom option will be available for those who would prefer not to meet in person. All are welcome to join. Contact Jane Preston Rose for details about the meetings. Click here to email her. The selection for September is The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

August AMM focused on educational priorities, controversies and how leaders are leading

If you didn’t make it to the August All Member Meeting or want to review the large amount of material that was presented, here are links to the PowerPoint presentations and the videos that were associated with the segment on media literacy.

Many thanks to the Education Committee members for their work: Chair Deborah Austin-Sanders, Janice Hutchinson, Carol Redmond, Bill Wilen, Judith Makens, Sara Ashley Cooke, Rhonda Richardson and Christie Anderson.

PowerPoint Presentations:

Media Literacy

Board of Education 8-15-22

Vouchers Part 1

Vouchers Part 2

HB616 for LWV

Videos:

Civic Online Reasoning

Civic Online Reasoning in Action: Lateral Reading

The Education Committee is always looking for new members! Send email to lwvkent@gmail.com.

August AMM in photos . . .

Clockwise: Christie Anderson, Sarah Ashley-Cook, Judith Makens, Rhonda Richardson, shot of filled room of members at Kent Social Services, Janice Hutchison. Other Education Committee members: Chair Deborah Austin Sanders, Carol Redmond and Bill Wilen.

Keeping up with honesty in education

Created in the summer of 2021, Honesty for Ohio Education (H4OE) is a nonpartisan statewide coalition that champions honesty, diversity, equity and inclusion in education. H4OE serves as a centralized source for the education, advocacy, resources and community-building necessary to protect honesty in education. Born from a grassroots effort of committed Ohioans, the coalition represents students, families, educators, advocacy organizations, legal professionals, researchers, policy experts and faith groups.

H4OE works with stakeholders and partners across the state to educate Ohioans around House bills 322, 327 and 616, developments at the Ohio Board of Education, and advocacy opportunities in local school districts where participants can show their support for honesty in education and for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The H4OE website provides information and analysis on the proposed legislation and page that can help viewers determine which elected officials are involved in education-related legislation. All H4OE staff and its partners are committed to affirming and reinforcing the organization’s values and community norms. The League of Women Voters of Ohio is among the H4OE partners.

Click here to connect with the website and sign up for the newsletter.

There's still time to pay dues!

2022-2023 League of Women Voters of Kent dues were due July 1, 2022. Dues may be paid by check, payable to LWV Kent and mailed to Gail Pytel, Treasurer, 4578 Creekside Drive, Kent, OH 44240 or on-line at Membership | MyLO (lwv.org). LWV Kent is a 501(c)(3); membership dues and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Dues are: $60 for individual members. $90 for two household members; $5 for students. LWV Kent also has a "pay what you can" option. Read more at the Membership page.

SAVE THE DATE...All events are free except where noted

Sept 20 | Tuesday | National Voter Registration Day

Oct 12 | Wednesday | New Member Orientation | 6 p.m. |

In Person | Kent Social Services, 1066 S. Water St., Kent

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