February 2008, Vol. 53 No. 3
Tuesday, February 19, 2008, 7:30 pm - Branch meeting and Great Decisions Discussion led by Pat Behenna, at Morningside House, 7700 Cherry Lane, Laurel.
Saturday, February 23, 2008, 10:00 am - noon - Joint meeting with the College Park branch of AAUW and Maryland Women Heritage Center. Carol Pearson, Ph.D., Director, James McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland College Park will speak on Women and Leadership. The meeting will be at the University of Maryland College Park, Van Munching Hall, Room 1203. A flier is attached. Invite a friend!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - Light dinner and performance by Kate Campbell Stevenson at Montpellier. This will be a joint program with Laurel Business and Professional Women, College Park and Bowie Area AAUW, the Bowie Chamber of Conference, and Bowie Soroptomists. A flier is attached. Be sure to get your reservation in earlier. Seating is limited.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - Branch meeting in honor of Equal Pay Day at Morningside House, 7700 Cherry Lane
Friday - Sunday, April 25-27, 2008 - AAUW Maryland State Convention at the Hilton Washington DC North, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The theme is "Power of the Purse," referring both to women's financial and economic topics and to women's political power. We will hold this convention jointly with Business and Professional Women of Maryland with opportunities to meet each other and to hear speakers on topics of mutual interest such as pay equity.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 7:00 pm - Salad Supper and program on the role of women in the press at Morningside House, 7700 Cherry Lane
Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Middle Atlantic Region Leadership Conference at the Holiday Inn in Timonium.
Please check out the events that are being sponsored by the branch and others this month and next. I hope to see you at the branch meeting on Tuesday, February 19, and at the two events we are co-sponsoring - Saturday, February 23 at College Park and Wednesday, March 19, at the Montpellier Mansion.
Millie O'Lauglin has moved to Morningside House. Her phone number and email address are unchanged and Millie is continuing in her role as public relation guru.
The branch needs you! Please consider serving as co-President or as Program Chair. If you are interested, or just curious about what's involved, please let me know.
This month is Heart Awareness Month. After the recent sudden deaths from heart failure of Delegate Jane Lawton of Montgomery County and Senator Gwendolyn Britt of Prince Georges County, the Women's Caucus of the Maryland Legislature is strengthening its attention to heart awareness. At the suggestion of Delegate Liz Bobo, a member of AAUW Howard County Branch, take a moment to go to www.goredforwomen.org make yourself aware of symptoms and take the Go Red Heart CheckUp.
Eileen
"Girls Gotta Run" Art Exhibit, February 26-April 5, the Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Reception: Thursday, February 28, 7-9 pm. Women artists from the area will exhibit and sell their work to help rural teenage Ethiopian girls finish high school and perhaps go on to college or a technical school. Running is a popular sport in Ethiopia, and the artists will buy athletic shoes for girls striving to escape poverty, and early marriage. To learn more: visit http://www.girlsgottarun.org.
The Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor and Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. (WE Inc.) will host a 3-day Women's History Month event March 4-6, 2008. "Building on the Past, Envisioning the Future: The Art of Women's Lives," will feature panel discussions and workshops on cutting-edge issues, and a special evening reception at the historic Carnegie Institution for Science. Register at http://www.dol.gov/wb/art2008.htm. If you have any questions, please email: Furia-karen@dol.gov
The Women's Equality Summit and Congressional Action Day will bring together hundreds of women leaders and their allies for two days of issue briefings, training sessions, and face-to-face meetings with members of Congress and national women leaders. The Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 10-11. The Summit is a project of the National Council of Women's Organizations, the largest coalition of women's groups in the country, and the Younger Women's Task Force, the grassroots movement that engages women in their 20's and 30's to act on the issues that matter most to them. AAUW is a member of NCWO. This is a great opportunity to make your voice heard on Capitol Hill on issues you care about, and represent AAUW to congressional leaders and women from around the country. For more information, visit the NCWO's website or call Elizabeth at 202-293-4505.
The Maryland Women's Hall of Fame induction to take place on March 12, at 5:30 pm. Eleanora Fagan (Billie Holiday), Romona McCarthy Hawkins, Ellen Moses Heller, Pauline Menes, Toby Barbara Orenstein, and Dr. Emily Wilson Walker will be honored. This is sponsored by the Maryland Commission for Women. For information and reservations, call 410-260-6047.
AAUW On Facebook
The AAUW Facebook strategy group has created "Facebook 101", a good how-to get started on Facebook document: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=ddzhjjgr_41fmk9jr. They are also currently working on "Facebook 102" which will go one step further.
Facebook is a way to keep in touch with family and friends. You can get to know fellow AAUW members so much better. AAUW members are learning to use Facebook to reach out to younger women, collaborate (EX: on the above documents), advertise AAUW, and announce events. Please join us and look for us on the main AAUW Facebook group (currently have 212 members):
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2419848109
If appropriate, you can also join AAUW Younger Members & Student Affiliates:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7478187711
AAUW has just released its Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress, First Session, which provides AAUW members and the public with critical information about how their members of Congress voted on equity issues affecting women and girls in 2007.
"Voters deserve to know where their elected officials stand before they head to the polls in November," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. "AAUW members across the country will use the voting record in their voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts this year, ensuring that people who care about women's equity know exactly how their members of Congress voted on key issues."
Priority issues reflected in the voting record are education, economic security, and civil rights. This year, AAUW is pleased that more than half the representatives and senators supported AAUW's position on at least 80 percent of the votes that were scored. Our local Congressman, Steny Hoyer, scored 100%.
The Congressional Voting Record scores the votes on several pieces of legislation that became law, including bills that provided for an increase in the minimum wage; the largest increase in student aid since the G.I. bill; and investment in science, technology, engineering, and math education. In addition, the publication scores legislation that reflects other AAUW priorities such as improving pay discrimination law, expanding hate crimes prevention, and protecting access to reproductive health care.
"Women have already been a critical factor in the presidential primaries, and they will continue to play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections," Maatz said. "The Congressional Voting Record is a great resource for them to use to make informed choices before casting a ballot."
Interested in knowing where the candidates stand on education issues? The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has posted a summary of the candidates' education platforms on their website. The information was gathered from public information made available at the candidates' respective websites. Go to: http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec_inside.asp?CID=1161&DID=54967
AAUW has joined with the Every Woman Counts Coalition for the 2008 election campaign season to mobilize women to vote and urge candidates to talk about issues important to women. Formed by Lifetime Networks in partnership with Hearst Magazines, including Redbook, CosmoGirl!, and Marie Claire, the Every Woman Counts Coalition comprises leading national nonprofit organizations such as AAUW. Joining the coalition has given AAUW access to coalition-sponsored polling on the issues women are most concerned about! in the upcoming election. Education ranked first, with jobs and the economy also near the top of the list. You can read more about AAUW's voter education campaign and partnerships on the AAUW website.
The Regular Person's Guide to the Budget - The Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institute and Open Society Institute-Baltimore present an accessible, understandable explanation of the big budget picture for the state of Maryland and the highlights and lowlights of the budgets for education, health, human services, public safety, environment and natural resources. It is available at: http://www.marylandpolicy.org/.
Legislative Day in Annapolis with LWVMD, is scheduled for February 27 at the Thomas V. Miller Senate Building, East 1 Room Annapolis. The cost is $30.00 (includes buffet lunch with vegetarian option; parking not included).
8:30 AM - 10:10 AM - Registration - East 1 Room, Thomas Mike Miller Senate Building 8:30AM - 10:00 AM - Visit with your delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. Make your appointments in advance. Photo ID required for admission to all Maryland government buildings 10:15AM Program Warren Deschenaux, Speaker Noon Lunch (Served in East 1 Room) - Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will be talking about BRAC issuesThe registration deadline is February 22. When registering, let them know that you are with AAUW. For additional information, phone: 410-269-0232 or e-mail: info@lwvmd.org
AAUW In Annapolis - this year, our Legislative Team, lead by Elaine Franz, is working on the following legislation:
HB 245 - Task Force for the prevention of Human Trafficking in Maryland - This is a bill the purpose of which is the prevention of Human Trafficking which is present has been in the news in Maryland The task force will collect data, develop a plan for collection and sharing of information, develop policies for a public awareness campaign, and review the existing services to meet the needs of human trafficking victims which includes human servitude. FOR
HB 1156 - Labor and Employment - Pay Disparity Data - Reporting - Authorizes the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to collect data on wages, job classifications, racial classification of employees, gender and other. It is in providing data for the true statistics on Pay Equity FOR
SB 373 - Building Opportunities for all Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit This is a type of vouchers by giving tax credits to businesses that provide Tuition Scholarships to students attending eligible nonpublic schools in the state and teachers at non-public schools to assist in graduate-level course work and also providing grants to educational innovative programs in public schools.. The last is the icing on the cake.. AGAINST
HB 439 - Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2008 - This increases the time period to two years preceding the filing of the initial complaint. This is the Maryland decision overturning the Supreme Court decision. FOR
HB 40 - Flexible Leave Act - This authorizes employees to use leave with pay for the illness of the employer's immediate family. The leave can be sick or any other leave. FOR
HB 500 Family Law - Denial of Paternity, Custody, and Visitation = This bill would exclude the rights of a father who raped a woman and conceives a child but if the child is kept the man still would have to provide financial support. FOR
For information on the status of legislation, go to: http://mlis.state.md.us/
IFUW is a launch partner for UNIFEM's campaign to eradicate violence against women. Over 17,000 have already signed the virtual book designed to show the world's governments that ending violence against women must be placed high on the world's agenda. Many more signatures are needed. You can: visit the www.saynotoviolence.org site to sign the virtual book.
The statistics UNIFEM presents on the Say No to Violence website - www.saynotoviolence.org - are shocking:
"At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime - with the abuser usually someone known to her.
"For women aged 15 to 44 years, violence is a major cause of death and disability - with rape and domestic violence rated higher as risk factors than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria.
"One in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.
"Some 70 percent of the casualties in recent armed conflicts have been non-combatants - most of them women and children. Women's bodies have become part of the battleground for those who use terror as a tactic of war - they are raped, abducted, humiliated and made to undergo forced pregnancy, sexual abuse and slavery.
"Estimates of the number of trafficked persons range from 500,000 to two million per year, and a few organizations have estimated that up to four million persons are trafficked every year; the majority are women.
According to Nicole Kidman, UNIFEM goodwill ambassador, "the more names we collect, the stronger our case to put ending violence against women on the top of the agenda and making the world a safer place for women." IFUW is dedicating its participation in this campaign to the memory of IFUW member, Mrs Helena Kalmi, former Finnish Federation (FFUW) executive member, esteemed principal and teacher at Jokela High School in Tuusula, Finland, whose life ended so brutally in the school shootings on 7 November 2007
AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or class. Membership is open to individuals who hold an associate's or equivalent, bachelor's, or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university If you are an undergraduate in a two-or four-year regionally accredited educational institution, you can join as a student affiliate of a branch or a student-affiliate-at-large.