On May 22, 2018, five of our lifetime members (50+ years!) participated in a panel discussion on their legacy of participation in our League and our villages after our annual meeting. Virginia Cassin, Sherlynn Reid, Harriet Hausman, Barbara Ballinger, and Bobbi Raymond shared stories of their lives and involvement with each other and our community. This historical video is now posted on our YouTube page and our website. Sadly, Virginia Cassin, Sherlynn Reid, and Bobbi Raymond are no longer with us. Take some time and enjoy all the stories these titans share.

There are a few spots left for the Great Decisions Maze Library group. New group discussions with new 2022 topics will begin in February. This promises to be an exciting series of discussions about international issues exploring 8 issues over 8 sessions. Books have been ordered for this Spring session, so please email Alex Matthews for more information and to reserve your book. The topics will be Outer Space, Climate Change, Russia and the U.S., Myanmar and ASEAN, Quad Alliance, Drug Policy in Latin America, Industrial Policy, and Biden's Agenda.

Though the primaries this year are not until June, now is the time for us to ramp up our voter registration efforts, however we decide to do it. Gather your ideas together for the virtual meeting planned for Monday, January 31, at 1:00pm or Wednesday, February 2, at 7:00pm. Sign up for your preferred date here. Questions? Contact Peggy Kell.

LWV US Action Call - We need you in this fight for the freedom to vote. Implore your senators to support the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Only with a united voice shouting for change will we get these vital voting rights bills passed to safeguard and strengthen our democracy. Click here, enter your address and presto, an e-mail is sent to your senators supporting this Act.

Supporting Democracy and Decency - Have you heard of the Americans of Conscience Checklist? In it, you get weekly well-researched action to take in support of democracy and constitutional freedoms, voting access, equality for all American and acts of gratitude to thank elected officials, no matter the side of the aisle, who do something good and also good news about our democracy and people doing kind things for one another. Go here to sign up.

Celebrate the American Women Quarters program - The American Women Quarters Program is a four-year program that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women to the development and history of our country. Beginning in 2022 and continuing through 2025, the U.S. Mint will issue up to five new reverse designs each year. The Maya Angelou Quarter is the first coin in the program. Read more about it here.

 Confronting the Rise of School Board Disruptions - Throughout the country and here in Illinois, we have seen the rise of well-funded disinformation campaigns targeting school boards and educators. This Thursday, January 27, 7:00pm event will cover: Who’s behind the disinformation campaign around masks/vaccines mandates, an erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, and the ways in which race is being taught in our schools? How can we band together to support our school boards and staff who are being threatened and to protect public education? Register here.

What's Next: Reproductive Choice!  Please mark your calendars now for our next Second Tuesday forum on February 8, 9:30am, to hear from one of LWV OPRF’s own members, Ameri R. Klafeta, Director, ACLU Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project Director, Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU. 

Memes, what are they?? “Memes are, simply put, ideas that catch on”- Eloise L. Kinney, Booklist 1988. Memes predate the internet era, although most of us are familiar with them in the form of viral, online, single-shot, satirical cartoons. The word “meme” was first coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976, who defined meme as “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” He created the term by combining mimeme (a Greek noun meaning the imitation of something) with the word gene. The original definition includes a range of cultural phenomena: from songs, to fashion, to architectural styles, to Twitter posts. The January 22 Feminist Four Newsletter from LWV Berkeley, New Providence, and Summit, New Jersey, features memes for Suffragist Cartoons, Equal Pay for Equal Work, Combating Internet Sexism, and The Power of a Meme. Click on the pictures or links in the newsletter to see the great cartoons!