AAUW San Antonio April Newsletter

Volume 112 Issue 8

2020-2021 Theme:

Economic and Physical Well-Being for All

Message from the President

We are in the legislative season for the U.S. Congress where the Covid relief package has been passed to bring much anticipated financial help to families, including health care, unemployment insurance supplement, child tax credit expansion, vaccine distribution funding, and aid to state and local governments. Likewise, the Texas legislature is in session until the end of May. A small group of our branch board met with a staff member from the office of US Representative Lloyd Doggett on February 24th. We conveyed our branch priorities, including healthcare/health insurance, equal pay, family paid leave and racial justice. These all line up with our theme this year of Economic and Physical Well-Being for All and have become increasingly important regarding the impact on women and girls during the Covid pandemic. See Pat Sanford’s article in this issue for more details on this meeting.

Our April 3rd meeting will feature our annual Graduate Scholarship and Textbook Scholarship awards. The committees, headed by Karen Reichensperger, had a wealth of applicants (44 for textbooks, 5 for graduate) from highly qualified women students. Following the recommendations of the committees, and approval by the branch board, the final awards for each category will be presented. The awardees will be invited to join us at our April annual membership meeting. This session will also include member voting for the new branch officers for the 2021-2022 AAUW SA year.

Online voting begins April 7th on the proposed AAUW bylaw change to eliminate the degree requirement for membership, closing on May 17th. AAUW Texas is sponsoring an online discussion on this proposed bylaw change on March 16th at 7:00 PM and March 20th at 10:00 AM. Voting is an important part of membership, so please be ready.

There’s another BINGO on March 24th, so get your virtual BINGO card by making a donation to Greatest Needs Fund during March. Send an email to Helga Anderson if it’s your first time playing so that we can send you the Zoom codes.

We continue to support the mantra of “stay negative” and do all we can to stay COVID-free, even after we get our vaccinations: wearing masks, distancing, and hand washing. Our thoughts are with those members who have lost friends or family members, have medical issues, or face other related challenges.

Moving forward –

Cheryl Fuller

AAUW San Antonio, President

AAUW

ZOOMING!

April 3, 2021

11:30 a.m.

Graduate and Textbook

Scholarship Presentations

Election of Officers

RSVP to Cheryl Fuller

(if you did not RSVP previously)

to receive the Zoom link.

cfuller5@satx.rr.com

Legislative Interview

AAUW San Antonio took part in efforts going on across the nation that are focusing on ensuring that the Paycheck Fairness Act is passed during this legislative session. Branches around the country are participating by interviewing legislators to ask them to articulate their position on women’s economic and healthcare issues. On February 24th a team from our branch conducted a Zoom interview with Isaiah Mora, Congressional Aide to U.S. Representative from Texas Lloyd Doggett. AAUW SA members participating were Cheryl Fuller, president; Pat Sanford, Public Policy Chair; Malinda Gaul, Funds; Diane Clairborne-Carr, Vice President of Programs; and Kate Vetters, Community Outreach. We asked specific questions on health care, the Affordable Care Act, the economic status of women, and Paycheck Fairness Act. On behalf of the 170,000 members and supporters of the AAUW we urged Representative Doggett to support and advocate for:

• The Paycheck Fairness Act which updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it provides robust protection against sex-based pay discrimination.

• The Raise Wage Act of 2021, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $9.50 this year and increase it over the next five years until it reaches $15 and hour in 2025.

• The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act to create a permanent national family and medical leave insurance program to help ensure that people who work can take the time they need to address serious health and caregiving needs.

Mr. Mora thanked us for our interest in the issues we discussed and assured us that he would share our concerns and requests for action to Representative Doggett.

If you would like to take personal action to help the Paycheck Fairness Act pass, you can use the Two Minute Activist which will provide direct access to your legislators.

Opening Membership

AAUW of Texas invites you to engage in conversation concerning the proposed change in the membership requirement of our bylaws. You may join the discussion on Tuesday, March 16, 7pm

Saturday, March 20, 10am

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5327069687?pwd=N2x4c3pnMDkxbUtVMFZRVFNnVlI3QT09

Meeting ID: 532 706 9687

Passcode: aauwtx

Newest AAUW Research Report

Factory Flaw: The Attrition and Retention of Women in Manufacturing, explores the challenges women face in male-dominated industries and the barriers that hinder their success.

The report outlines how employers can build a more competitive workforce by addressing these longstanding issues and creating more pathways for women in the manufacturing fields.

Read the Report

March Speaker Recap

Our March speaker was Dr. Dena L. Jackson, the Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Women’s Foundation. This community-supported foundation seeks to advance women’s and girl’s economic security and leadership opportunities through a four-prong approach: Research, Advocacy, Grants, and Programs, with a vision of building a “Texas for All.”

The title of Dr. Jackson’s presentation was, “Economic Issues for Women in Texas 2020” and focused on the 4 “Pillars of Economic Security:”

• Education – The Pathway

• Child Care – A Work Support

• Health Insurance – A Financial Shield and

• Housing – An Anchor

Dr. Jackson began her presentation by introducing us to the “Average Texas Woman.” The average Texas Woman is 36, a woman of color, lives in a city, earns $35,000 or less annually, and works to support her family. Many of these women live below the poverty level and 91% are non-white. Dr. Jackson described some of the contributing factors that influence “Economic Security” and how Texas women are affected by them:

1. Education: 1.4 times as many women as men completed college in 2018, yet Texas women earn less than men in every single occupation. In fact, women with advanced degrees earn less than men with Bachelor’s degrees. Women hold the majority of outstanding college debt and tuition has risen 21% in 5 years.

2. Child Care: There are 2.5 million working Texas mothers, yet many live in areas with little or no available, affordable or quality child care options. Infant care is almost as expensive as college tuition at around $8,000 per infant for full-time care. For many women, the cost of child care negates their wages.

3. Health Insurance: Almost a quarter of women 18-64 lack health insurance, and the numbers are rising. One in four Hispanic women are uninsured, compared to 1 in 10 White women. And, as Texas did not expand into Medicaid, 20% of uninsured Texas women fall into the “Medicaid Coverage Gap,” which means that after a recipient reaches a certain annual limit, they may incur additional, sometimes catastrophic costs, for medications.

4. Housing: As the population of Texas continues to rise, so does the number of women, especially black women, who cannot afford adequate housing. In fact, there are 206 evictions in Texas per day, which equates to 75,000 per year. 90% of domestic abuse survivors will experience homelessness; over half, more than once. Half of agencies seeking to find alternative housing for these individuals have waiting lists and must turn away many of the evicted.

Dr. Jackson concluded her presentation by sharing potential strategies to create new and innovative opportunities and programs to improve the “what is.” Specifically:

Education: Expand TEXAS grant and Promise programs; Provide avenues for Student Loan and debt relief.

Child Care: Fund full-day pre-k with community partners, develop family-friendly leave and work policies.

Health Insurance: Expand Medicaid (especially for new mothers) and earned sick leave policies.

Housing: Prioritize transitional housing for domestic violence survivors, improve tenant protections, increase legal aid funding.

For more information, contact Dr. Jackson at:

djackson@txwf.org or visit the website at txwfecoissues.org

BINGO

Fundraiser

for

AAUW Greatest Needs

Our annual fundraiser for the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund will be virtual BINGO during Wine Women and Wisdom on Wednesday, March 24.

To receive a virtual BINGO card, make a donation to the Greatest Needs Fund before March 24.

Then join Wine Women and Wisdom on Wednesday, March 24, at 5:00 p.m. for three virtual BINGO games with prizes.

DONATE HERE

Scholarships

Both the textbook and graduate scholarship committees have met and made recommendations to the Board of Directors for their final decision. There were 5 graduate applications and 44 textbook applications so there was a lot of work for the committees. They are due lots of thanks!!

Textbook committee members:

Diane Claiborne-Carr

Mary Ellen Pratt

Pat Sanford

Graduate committee members:

Diantha Perelli

Jeanette Pierce

Patricia Tucker

Stay tuned and join us on April 3rd to recognize the recipients. You will be impressed!

Karen Reichensperger

Scholarship Committee Chair

NCCWSL

Our branch is offering six (6) full paid registrations to the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), the premier leadership conference in the U.S. Three (3) students have been registered already, all from Palo Alto. A reminder will go out in April to provide the opportunity for 3 more.

The conference includes skill-building workshops that are designed to challenge and inspire, meet and hear from groundbreaking women working across a range of fields, recognize women leaders who have made extraordinary accomplishments in their professions or their communities, STEM Roundtable, Women of Distinction Fireside Chat and

much networking.

Encourage college women you know to apply. They can contact me at jkreichen@att.net

Karen Reichensperger

Scholarship Committee Chair

Time to Renew Your Membership!

It is time to renew your AAUW membership for 2021-2022. The dues for next year are $91.00. The current fiscal year runs through June 30. Members who pay their dues by May 1 will be entered in the Early Bird Drawing and the lucky winner will receive free membership for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

Current members will receive an email from membershipinfo@aauw.org to renew online. Open the link, click renew and pay by credit or debit card. Members who prefer to pay by check may write the check to AAUW-SA and mail it to Ann Marie Rehner, 16 Grassmarket, San Antonio, TX 78259.

Thank you for supporting AAUW!

Kathy Dicke

Vice President Membership

AAUW San Antonio Election of Officers

The AAUW-SA Nominating Committee is tasked with developing a slate of nominees for our 2021-2022 Board of Officers. The Committee submits the following slate of nominees to the membership. The membership will vote on the nominees for each board office at the Annual Meeting in April.

The nominees are:

President Elect Diane Claiborne-Carr 1-year term

Vice President for Program Martha Steele 1-year term

Vice President for Membership Rachel Skelley 1-year term

Secretary Kate Vetters 1-year term

Treasurer Adrien Frank 2-year term

During the April meeting, nominations may be made from the floor at the time of the election, provided written consent by the nominee has been obtained in advance. Anyone wishing to run for office should contact a member in writing to make the nomination from the floor at the time of the election during the April meeting.

The election will be by ballot unless there is only one nominee for a given office, wherein a voice vote will be taken. The election shall be by a majority vote of those members present and voting.

Cheryl Fuller will serve her second year as President in the 2021-2022 AAUW year.

Duly Submitted,

Nominating Committee Members:

Diane Claiborne-Carr Chairman

Ruth Lyle

Ann Marie Rehner

Pat Sanford

Fran Vetters

AAUW Public Policy

AAUW and our supporters have worked for 24 years to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. And did you know that January 29, 2021 marked the 12th anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act? Yet, despite existing federal and state equal pay laws, the gender pay gap persists, impacting millions of women and their families.

National, state, and local levels of AAUW are working diligently to ensure that the Paycheck Fairness Act is passed during this legislative session. The national website has a plethora of news and information on what national leaders are doing. And during a state Public Policy meeting on March 4, Public Policy Chair, Pat Rehem, shared information about the lobbyist the state organization has hired to advocate for this important initiative and others, particularly women’s health care, during the current session. Locally, branches across the state are contacting legislators and interviewing them asking where they stand on these issues and asking them to support them. And individual AAUW members across the nation use the Two Minute Activist to contact their legislators and encourage them to support women’s rights issues including the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The information below is an example of the detailed information on the www.aauw.org website.

It’s time to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!

You've heard the statistics — on average, women working full time in the United States are paid just 82% of what men are paid, and the gap is even wider for many women of color. Despite federal and state equal pay laws, the gender pay gap persists. But Congressional action can help change this. The Paycheck Fairness Act would take meaningful steps to update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to help close the gender pay gap, including:

• closing loopholes that have weakened the law over time to allow employers to justify paying workers unfairly,

• creating more robust remedies for those who have suffered discrimination,

• preventing employers from retaliating against workers who discuss or disclose their wages,

• prohibiting employers from relying on salary history to set wages, and

• providing much needed training and technical assistance, as well as data collection and research.

The gender pay gap is persistent and can only be addressed if women have the tools they need to challenge discrimination and employers have the incentives they need to comply with the law. It's time for Congress to make real change for all families by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

AAUW-San Antonio Upcoming Programs

We are almost at the end of our program year for 2020-2021. Our theme for the year is “Economic and Physical Well-Being for All.” April is the Annual Meeting. This month we introduce winners of AAUW San Antonio Scholarship and Textbook Awards and vote on our new officers for 2021-2022.

Please share any program suggestions for the new year with any board member.

April 3, 2021 Annual Meeting

Graduate and Text book Scholarship Awards - Karen Reichensperger, Scholarships Committee Chair

Meet the women selected to receive the awards.

Election for 2021-2022 AAUW-SA Board of Elected Officers - Pat Sanford, Nominating Committee

Members will vote on the slate of nominees for President Elect, Vice President for Programs, Vice President for Membership, Secretary, Treasurer. Names of Nominees can be found in the April newsletter.

May 1, 2021

Speaker: Jessica Cisneros, Immigration Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Laredo, Texas

Title: “The Physical, Emotional, Economic, and Legal Conditions of Incarcerated Immigrant Women, Children, and Families,” addressing incarceration and the separation of families and children from parents. Where are the over 500 children taken from their parents and what is being done to correct the situation? Are children being educated under incarceration? What are the health conditions where immigrants are being held? There are a million questions about the immigrant status while incarcerated. Jessica Cisneros has been a recognized active civil rights advocate for immigrants since a teenager in high school. She is now a lawyer with the noted Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in Laredo. Ms. Cisneros will bring us up to date on what is happening to immigrants.

The Two-Minute Activist

The Two-Minute Activist is a source of information on topics relating to women’s issues. It also enhances our ability to send emails and texts to legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more. Sign up on the AAUW webpage to get regular alerts to be able to take timely action.

You can also text “AAUW” to 21333 to get AAUW action alerts via text.