November Newsletter

President's Message

I like to think of “the holidays” as a season for thankfulness.

I trust I don’t have to remind any of our members of the importance of voting, but don’t forget to talk to others whom you might influence about what’s important to you in choosing a candidate. If you’re looking for less confrontational ways to bring up an issue, the AAUW Public Policy website has lots of talking points for various issues. With many close races this year, every vote counts, not only as a vote for a candidate, but as an expression of faith in our electoral system. Thank you to all the election officials and poll workers who keep our democracy functioning!

At Fall Focus we explored the possibilities for the future of AAUW in New Jersey. The branch sponsored DEI programs presented by AAUW NJ DEI Director Edwina Sessons are just one example of how AAUW NJ helps amplify branches’ equity programming. See the report below to learn more.

As I count my blessings this Thanksgiving season, I include the many wonderful, generous women I’ve come to know through AAUW. They have taught me so much about life and the value of women sharing their knowledge and talents with other women (and with men!). As we lift each other up, the burden gets lighter.

With gratitude,

Karen Brown

Featured Program

AAUW NJ News

Member-Renewal Grace Period Extended

The September 30 grace period for renewing members (June 30, 2022 expires) to remain in good standing has been extended. You now have until November 30 to renew branch members for FY23 and work with AAUW staff to resolve any issues for the current fiscal year. You can verify your members’ expiration status using the “Export Branch Roster” option in the Community Hub. Please report membership discrepancies to connect@aauw.org.

How to Differentiate State Leaders on Branch Rosters

If you’re a branch leader, you may have noticed that state leaders’ names now appear on your branch rosters. We took this step so state leaders can provide additional support to leaders within their state. However, we understand the change has created some challenges regarding pulling member lists. AAUW staff have worked to improve the roster export so you can now differentiate state leaders from branch members. Under the “Export Branch Roster” option in Community Hub, the final column ‘Is State Manager’ will now be set to ‘True’ for state leaders so that branch officers can better sort and filter them out when performing branch functions.

Why I Donate

November 2022

For my sister, your sister, our sisters

For the renewal of rusted minds

For embarrassed fathers with empty hands

For our longing for an ordinary life

For the students and their future

For this forced paradise

For the bright ones in prisons

For women, life, and freedom

These painful lyrics, from the song “Baraye” or “For”, sewn together from protesters’ tweets, offer reasons for Iran’s intense reaction to oppressive clerical rule. This all comes as a response to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who was wearing “improper hijab”. It has been reported that schoolchildren are now also protesting and the government has responded with brutal crackdowns, detaining children and sending them to mental health facilities to reform “anti-social behavior”. At least 23 children have been killed.

This is heartbreaking news for the women of Iran and for women all over the world. I am grateful for the work of AAUW that supported and secured women’s rights in the USA since 1881. In its long history, AAUW has removed barriers and biases that stand in the way of gender equity and has championed the right to freedom from violence and discrimination. They continue to advocate for the right to an education, property ownership, and wage equality for women. These are some of the reasons I donate to AAUW.

We need your support to have our programs continue. Thanksgiving is a great time to donate! Just go to https://aauw-nj.aauw.net. You will be able to donate to the Charitable Trust Grant Program or Tech Trek NJ by using PayPal or a credit or debit card. Donation by check is also possible. If you would like to donate to AAUW National Funds or Programs, follow the login instructions. If you are not a member of AAUW, it is also easy to set up an account to donate.

Thank you for your support and stay well,

Nina Del Collo, Funds Director

AAUW National News

Virtual Office Hours

AAUW’s virtual “office hours” provide a real-time forum for member leaders to share their questions and concerns with AAUW National staff. These sessions have become so popular that they have added another time slot. Now you can sign up to talk on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. ET in addition to Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Other News

The 50 Year Legacy of

Shirley Chisholm

November 19, 2022

2:00 PM via Zoom

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s run for the Presidency of the United States on the Democratic Party’s ticket. She was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives (1968) and the first woman to seek the presidential nomination from a major party. The Congresswoman’s campaign began to clear a political path for the candidacies of Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton. She saw herself as a “catalyst for change” and her challenge to the status quo influenced the election of America’s first African American President, Barack Obama, and the first female Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is African American and Asian.

On Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 2:00 PM the Summit College Club Branch will present the virtual program, The 50 Year Legacy of Shirley Chisholm.

Janice Harris Jackson, retired Kean University educator and former State Education Chair for the New Jersey NAACP, will lead the discussion on the Chisholm Legacy. A member of the Summit Branch, Ms. Jackson also presented the 2020 program – “Stony the Road We Trod: A Discussion of Black Women and the Suffrage Movement.”

On the 50th anniversary of Congresswoman Chisholm’s run for the Presidency of the United States, her legacy will inspire each of us toward our goal of full equity for all women.

Fall Focus

The 2022 Fall Focus, on October 29, was a day of making new connections across branches, sharing ideas, learning more about what the NJ State committees and initiatives are focused on, and gathering ideas to keep AAUW branches vibrant and relevant. Marge Smith, a leader in the nonprofit world who has participated in past AAUW-NJ meetings, was the facilitator for most of the morning. The techniques she used (along with her skill in leading the exercises) yielded many insights and discoveries – for example:

Many members are part of AAUW because of the community of women, and their commitment to that community. When we are introduced to a group by another person (rather than introducing ourselves), we feel “seen” and validated – something to keep in mind when a new member joins us and is introduced at a branch meeting. Every branch is doing something that’s working – let’s share our best work.

Marge then led meeting participants through a process focused on the future of our branches, inviting us to identify the things that we should stop doing, start or re-start, continue, and accelerate. We’ll be sharing the results of this exercise, and more detail on the process in a separate communication within the next few weeks.

Marge Smith is the co-founder of Princeton Community Works (PCW), working to enable non-profit organizations to be more effective at all levels. Their website has excellent resources that branch leaders and members can use, and they sponsor an annual conference, coming up in January 2023.

Turning to State-wide initiatives, Mary Graves’ presentation on the Charitable Trust left many of us thinking, “What could we do in our branch if we just had some funding help?” The availability of grants to support mission-aligned programs and activities is a message we want members across all branches to hear.

Edwina Sessons previewed the three Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sessions she’ll be conducting virtually with host branches over the year. Edwina pointed out, “inclusion” isn’t a project: it happens within each of us individually, through our every-day actions. Accordingly, the State DEI programs call on all of us to develop habits that promote Inclusion, challenging biases in the moment, and making anti-racism a lifestyle.

Finally, participants heard from the rest of the State committees and initiatives about what’s happening, and how the State can support the branches. Overall, the meeting lived up to this year’s theme for those who attended in person or virtually – CONNECTING with members from other branches and the State; COLLABORATING in sharing ideas and knowledge; and CREATING a foundation for working together throughout the year ahead.

We Were At the Table

On Friday, October 28, AAUW NJ was an exhibitor at the NJ Conference for Women. This conference was led by the Women in Business Alliance program of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce. The conference offered over 500 attendees a half day of professional development and informative workshops for women of all ages. They heard stories of dynamic, prosperous women and gained knowledge and resources they need to reach the next level in their careers and personal lives. The NJ Conference for Women, which began in 2012, is the largest women’s conference in Central New Jersey.

Representing AAUW NJ at the exhibition table were State Program Vice President, Karen Kaplan, Southern District Coordinator, Jacqueline (Jackie) McGuinness and Burlington County Membership Vice President, Jasmine Davis. Also in attendance were Berly Morgan, Madison Branch and Sharon Suber, Burlington County Branch.

Karen said "Many women who stopped by our table weren't familiar with AAUW, but when we told them what we're about -- nationally and in our branches -- people were impressed and wanted to know more. One visitor wanted to join on the spot."

Lastly, Jackie stated “This was the first time that AAUW NJ had an exhibitor table. It was great to make connections with so many diverse women. The energy there was so uplifting! I am excited with the possibility of collaborating with other organizations to further our mission for women and girls in the State of New Jersey!”

Creating greater awareness of AAUW and making connections with other women and organizations is important in supporting branch efforts to attract new members and serve their communities. So we’ll be increasing our efforts in this area over the coming year.

Upcoming AAUW NJ Dates

2022-23

February 13, 2023 - DEI: What Inclusion Really Means, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Hosted by the Summit College Club Branch

April 18, 2023 - DEI: Anti-Racism - Let’s Own It! 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Hosted by the Northern Ocean County Branch

April 29, 2023 - Annual Business Meeting via Zoom. Details to be announced

June 3, 2023 - AAUW-NJ Leadership Conference - Time, location and agenda to be announced

If your branch is forwarding the AAUW mission in some way, please share your activities with aauwnj@gmail.com. We want to celebrate you!

aauwnj@gmail.com

Visit the AAUW NJ Website