The Pine - May 2020
The Official Publication of AAUW MN
- A Message from our President
- AAUW State Board Minutes April 25, 2020
- AAUW Convention Condensed Minutes - 90th Convention 2019
- The Banners are here
- AAUW Public Policy Update - November Election, Equity Network, AAUW Action Network
- AAUW Branch Update - St. Cloud
- AAUW Reads - Hastings May suggestions
- AAUW MN website link
A message from our president, Lisa West
Dear Members,
As you’re aware, the AAUW MN Board conducted a virtual, annual meeting on Saturday, April 25th. I want to thank the 21 of 29 branches that submitted delegates, and all those who voted prior to the meeting. Thank you for your interest in participating in this year’s election and other voting items.
The results of the ballot that included Board Officer elections, a 2020-2021 Budget, and approval of the Funds Report, are included in the minutes from the meeting that are a part of this Pine newsletter. One thing to note in the minutes is a mention of the Macpherson Scholarship; more information will be provided about the scholarship in the June Pine.
It’s become a strange ending to this AAUW year, and may of us, me included, are struggling a bit with technology, social and physical distancing, and many new realities. I appreciate the patience and support I and the Board have received as we’ve tried to orchestrate a way to complete AAUW MN business and continue to serve our State membership in new and unfamiliar ways.
I want to thank the current and incoming Board members for all your support and cooperation, ideas and problem-solving talents. It hasn’t’ been easy; but I think like everyone in many different ways, we’re all doing the best we can.
This edition of the Pine is focused mainly on the April Annual Meeting. Please look ahead to a June edition of the Pine that will have more and varied information.
~ Lisa
May Quote: “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” ~ Serena Williams
AAUW Minnesota State Board Minutes April 25, 2020
AAUW Minnesota 90th Annual Meeting Condensed Minutes
The BANNERS are HERE!
AAUW-MN Public Policy Update
Jan Carey, AAUW-MN VP of Public Policy
Greetings AAUW MN Branch Public Policy chairs, I don’t need to express the dismay we all feel at this time in Earth’s history. But I can express the need to maintain routines and interests in all things important in our lives, including our families, friends, and ideals. Our ideals keep us motivated and strong for the protection of our families and friends.
That said, AAUW is standing its ground to its ideals and has provided solid, proactive plans to bring about the results needed to meet the challenges of our future. To that end, AAUW continues to advocate via technical methods of communication. I have been attending numerous ZOOM meetings, webinars, and reviewing resources available on the new AAUW website.
On March 24 and April 21, I posted information regarding voter rights. I hope you reviewed the information or joined one of the AAUW webinars. As a continuation of the theme, this update contains AAUW specific resources and links to information and archived webinars that you can utilize and communicate to your branch members. In this update you will find:
- Advocacy-November Election
- Voter Issue Guide
- Voter Issue Templates
- Equity Network Resources
- Changing Voter Laws
- a message from Missouri
- a Message from the Action Network
Please click on the link below for more information.
Advocacy: November Election
AAUW is gearing up for the national election cycle and needs member assistance to elect candidates who align with AAUW ideals. AAUW public policy and communications staff have completed the 2020 Voter Issue Guide, Voter Guide templates and instructional webinars.
Zoom videos are too big to send via email. So you can access the video via Zoom here, and make sure to enter the corresponding password: Equity-68764
This ZOOM meeting examines and reviews state and area activity and provides resources you might need. Access complementary resources below.
- 2020 Voter Issue Guide
- Head-to-head Voter Guide templates (both State and Federal)
- the recording "2020 Election Voter Access & Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic"
- a social media tool kit for "get out the vote" and voter education effort - check the downloaded pdf file
Equity Network
AAUW Action Network
A posting from Robin Lucas, AAUW Advocacy, published in the latest edition of AAUW Action Network.
"As we approach this Mother's Day, AAUW is committed to supporting paid leave for all. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, over 32 million people in the United States did not have access to a single paid sick day. When Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March and promised two weeks of emergency paid sick and family leave, loopholes cut out as many as 106 million workers from these protections. Among those left out are health care workers, essential workers, and employees of big business.
This Mother's Day—and every day—we urge you to take action to support paid leave for all. Before, during, and after a pandemic, we all need access to paid leave, and the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) would do that. This legislation would create a national paid leave insurance program, providing wage replacement and protections from retaliation to workers.
Your members of Congress need to hear that women and families cannot afford to wait any longer for a comprehensive, inclusive paid family and medical leave program. Urge them to support and co-sponsor the FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463)! Not having paid leave means women and caregivers leave the workforce, families struggle to make ends meet, businesses lose valued employees, and our economy suffers. In a public health crisis, paid leave is the difference between health and safety and being forced to prematurely return to work. Paid leave saves our lives and livelihood.
Tell your members of Congress to support and co-sponsor the FAMILY Act today!"
All of this information may seem daunting. It may seem less urgent to advocate amid so much uncertainty. However, when this world event passes, people just might decide to work together to use our ideals to recreate an environment in which cultures of ingenuity, equality, respect, innovation, and common good will exist and flourish.
Please communicate activities your branch plans to implement during this election cycle. I’ll share your plans with other branches. Reply to me at: jmcfree@aol.com
From St. Coud Branch...
Black women in higher education struggle to achieve pay equity
The Saint Cloud Area (MN) Branch is proud to announce that our member, Brittany M. Williams, Ph.D. (in inset) has been awarded an AAUW Grant. She is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at St. Cloud State University. Her primary research agenda explores issues of career development, social class, and HIV/AIDS prevention in college contexts. She is a co-founder of #CiteASista and is one of five founding members of #SisterPhD, two digital counter-communities for Black women within and beyond academe.
The topic and working title of her manuscript are, “‘Now I work for a local government, and I get paid more to do less; Pay Inequity in Higher Education Workplaces.” This post-doctoral study was borne out of her award-winning dissertation, titled, “I Did Everything I Was Supposed to; Black Women Administrative Professionals’ Push Out and Opt-Out of Higher Education,” which won two awards. This qualitative research counternarrative manuscript revealed that pay inequity for Black women administrators in higher education requires they must exceed employer expectations, work harder, navigate discrepancies in the workplace and still endure (in)equitable pay.
Dr. Williams has earned degrees from The University of Georgia, Ph.D., 2019,
Teachers College, Columbia University, M.A., 2013 and Hampshire College, B.A., 2012.
For more than 130 years, AAUW has funded the educations of countless women so they could follow their dreams. From astronauts to zoologists, the recipients of AAUW’s fellowships, grants and awards represent nearly every imaginable field of endeavor. More than 200 awards and $3.5 million in funding for fellows and grantees were given out in the 2020–21 award year. These exceptional recipients will pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.
This funding helps to ease the burden of student debt, which disproportionately affects women so that promising women can excel in their fields and become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences. AAUW seeks a diverse pool of applicants who represent the full spectrum of ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, gender expressions, socioeconomic backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives. Our recipients include some of the most influential voices of the past two centuries — women who have helped shape history — as well as nonprofit organizations at the forefront of driving social change.
Due to the longstanding, generous contributions of members and supporters, AAUW will continue to invest in world-changing women through our fellowships and grants program for many decades to come.
"AAUW’s Short-Term Research Publications Grants are part of the American Fellowships program, which provides fellowships for women pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks."
Great PR for AAUW in St. Cloud
The Laura Ruprecht, curator for the Paramount Center for the
Arts mentioned AAUW and the student awards for emerging artists that the
branch gave out. It's excellent PR.
Need a book suggestion? Check out Hastings's May Book List
Share your AAUW branch experiences
What fun idea does your Branch do to get together with your AAUW Sisters? Let Cyndy know by emailing cyndyharrison@msn.com