The branch meeting scheduled for tomorrow, 1/21/12, has been cancelled due to a travellers’ advisory through 3pm Saturday. We’ll make every effort to reschedule.
Planning for Spring: AAUW NYS Convention
Come to the AAUW-NYS Convention April 20-22, 2012 in Rochester!
This year’s state c
onvention theme, “In Their Footsteps”, will celebrate the historic women’s rights movement centered in New York State. It will begin with a Friday afternoon tour of the Susan B. Anthony House and continue on Saturday with a dialogue between impersonators of Anthony and of Matilda Joslyn Gage will bring alive the conflicts within the women’s suffrage movement – surprisingly relevant to today’s political divisions. Workshops on“The Haudenosaunee Influence”, “Harriet Tubman“, African-American “Uncrowned Queens“,”Elizabeth Cady Stanton“,”Women of the Chautauqua Movement“, and “The Seneca Army Depot Peace Encampment” will all expand on this theme.
onvention theme, “In Their Footsteps”, will celebrate the historic women’s rights movement centered in New York State. It will begin with a Friday afternoon tour of the Susan B. Anthony House and continue on Saturday with a dialogue between impersonators of Anthony and of Matilda Joslyn Gage will bring alive the conflicts within the women’s suffrage movement – surprisingly relevant to today’s political divisions. Workshops on“The Haudenosaunee Influence”, “Harriet Tubman“, African-American “Uncrowned Queens“,”Elizabeth Cady Stanton“,”Women of the Chautauqua Movement“, and “The Seneca Army Depot Peace Encampment” will all expand on this theme.Keynotes by Cathy Kelm, head of AAUW’s Lobby Corps in Washington, and by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, as well as workshops on The Temp Economy and “Clean Money, Clean Elections“, a dialogue on the Women’s History Trail, and “Project Women” will show how we can continue the mission today. We’ll extend that mission throughout the world with our international speaker, Jane Roberts.
By popular demand we will again have military bridge on Friday evening, an exercise session (yoga this year!) on Saturday afternoon, musical entertainment on Saturday evening, and opportunities for swimming, walking, and bidding on LAF offerings (purses this year!). As a special treat, the Branch Showcase will be a presentation by the Bath Branch of the play “Momoirs” on Sunday morning.
– Peggy Kelland, AAUW-NYS V.P. Program
AAUW Member Raises Hydrofracking Questions
Susan Holland, Public Policy Chair
Last Thursday the Freeman published branch member Susan Holland’s letter to the editor regarding Kingston’s conflicting positions on whether the city would accept wastewater from hydrofracking at the Rondout plant.
We’re fortunate to have Susan speaking out and raising questions for us. As our public policy chair she does a wonderful job of keeping us posted on local and state issues.
If you didn’t read her letter, you’ll find it here.
Happy New Year!
Wishing the World Peace, Love, and Joy in 2012
Pass the NYS Pay Equity Act
Can you make the pay equity legislative hearing in Manhattan Monday? Let the legislature know that this is the year to act. Enough of this dithering around! Here’s the link to the hearing.
http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Labor/20111128/
Public Policy Meeting – Women, War & Peace: Dec. 10th.
Join the Public Policy Committee to watch and discuss Women, War & Peace.
The PBS series on Women, War & Peace has generated a lot of conversation. And what better way to acknowledge the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence currently underway? We’re planning to watch Part 1 together and talk about it over a pizza lunch this Saturday.
December 10, 2011
11:00 am
Irene Miller’s Home, Palenville
RSVP to imiller65@hvc.rr.com.
AAUW Branch Holiday Party December 13
Songs for the Season of Light
Branch Holiday Party
Kingston Library Community Room
Tuesday, December 13
3:30 pm
Danielle Woerner photo by Michael Gold
Join us for a celebration of the season. Bring your friends and introduce them to AAUW. This promises to be a wonderful program.
Danielle Woerner presents “Songs for the Season of Light”: Warm up your voices and your holiday spirits with song! Singer, voice teacher and songwriter Danielle Woerner, December’s presenter, will share and lead the group in songs for this winter holiday season from a variety of spiritual and secular traditions around the world.
Woerner is well-known as a singer, actor, teacher and workshop leader, as well as a writer and songwriter. Her own history as a University Woman includes voice teaching at Bard, Vassar and Dutchess Community Colleges, and an Artist Residency at SUNY/Ulster. She studied at Bard (B.A.), Barnard, Berklee (Master’s program) and Hunter Colleges and the Universite d’Aix-Marseille, in addition to her professional training in NYC.
Two Please Brings:
- Small unwrapped gifts for the residents of the domestic violence shelter
- For the scholarship table, re-gifting items and your cash. Donate your items. Pick up some bargains. Proceeds go toward our scholarship fund.
Birthday Celebration Saturday: 130 Years!
Celebrate with Us!
Kingston AAUW Birthday Celebration
DATE: Saturday, December 3, 2011
TIME: Doors open at 1pm; film at 1:30
LOCATION: Kingston Library Community Room
MORE: AAUW members have been advancing equity for women and girls for 130 years. Our founding members were leaders in the suffrage movement, opened educational opportunities for women, and worked to improve conditions for working women and their families. We continue that work today.
To celebrate our 130th birthday, on December 3rd, AAUW Kingston will have a public showing of Ironed Jawed Angels, the Golden Globe award winning film about suffragettes fighting for the right to vote. It underscores the challenges — personal and political — in the story of these remarkable women.
Come cheer them on, hiss, cry, and celebrate.
If you’ve never seen it, you MUST.
If you have seen it, SEE IT AGAIN.
And bring a friend who hasn’t seen it.
Katja von Garnier’s “Iron Jawed Angels” tells the remarkable and little-known story of a group of passionate and dynamic young women, led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and her friend Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor), who put their lives on the line to fight for American women’s right to vote.
Please contribute personal care items or small, unwrapped gifts for the women living in the domestic violence shelter.Thanksgiving Controversies
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow… safe travel, great food, and the company of people you enjoy.
The day used to kick-off the holiday season but this year has spawned some controversy.
- Should Black Friday start on Thursday? 185,000 people signed an on-line petition protesting Target’s midnight opening which will ruin the day for many Target employees.
- Will you take the pledge? “Respect the Bird” is a growing movement of people protesting “Christmas Creep” and pledging “to not let Black Friday shopping gobble up my Thanksgiving.” (You can take the pledge here: http://respectthebird.com/p/pledge.html )
What will you be doing on Thanksgiving? Tell us in the comments below.
Sexual Harassment in Our Schools: How big a problem? What can we do?
Cross
ing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School, AAUW’s new research report on sexual harassment in middle and high schools, which was released online Monday, has gotten significant media attention from a number of outlets including the Associated Press and the New York Times. This report — the first of its kind in 10 years — provides valuable information for all of us who are concerned about the next generation.
Parents, teachers, administrators, policy makers, and, most of all, students need this report to shed light on the issue of sexual harassment in schools. AAUW is ready to amplify the conversation and give people the facts and best practices they need to work toward a solution.
You can get a PDF of the Executive Summary and/or the full report here.
Watch this site for more discussion about what we can do.