AAUW’s Raleigh-Wake Branch is proud to present the speaker for our

October 15^th Meeting

Gillian Fields

One Woman’s Journey into the World of Classical Music

The presenter for our October branch meeting is Gillian Fields. She is the Raleigh-based choir director at Oak City Baptist Church and has discovered many other ways of using her exceptional talent. She teaches voice and piano in the Raleigh-Durham area and gives concerts here and elsewhere in the Triangle. The subject of her presentation is the journey that led her into the world of classical music, where a varied and rewarding career awaited her.

Gillian’s music journey began in 5th grade when her elementary school transitioned to a Gifted and Talented Magnet school, where the arts were a focus. After her first recital, Gillian was hooked. She knew that music would become an integral part of her life.

Gillian received a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in voice performance from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gillian’s education continued at The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and earned a Master of Music degree with a concentration in voice performance.

AAUW’s Raleigh-Wake Branch is proud to present the speaker for our

April 16^th Meeting

Doris Bullock

ARISE Collective: Systemic problems require holistic solutions

Dr. Doris Bullock is the head of programming for women through a non-profit called ARISE Collective. (Until 2004, ARISE was known as Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women.) ARISE offers effective programs by making these issues their focus:

1. After paying their debt to society, far too often women face significant barriers to obtaining jobs, housing, social services and more.

2. Programs at ARISE are designed to interrupt cycles of poverty, addiction, and violence by providing much-needed resources, and a helping hand.

3. Bringing formerly incarcerated women together with those in prison–with additional contact from outside the penal system–community becomes a reality for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.

Our speaker’s approach to programming draws on findings of her dissertation, entitled Incarceration and the Impact of Educational Rehabilitation on Recidivism. It is a fact that women are the fastest-growing segment of the prison and jail population and ARISE Collective proposes focused solutions, reinforced by the entire team.

Learn more about ARISE here: https://arise-collective.org

About our Speaker:

Dr. Doris J. Braswell Bullock is a former board member for Arise Collective, a non-profit organization in Raleigh (formerly Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women) that provides holistic services to women in prison, both pre and post-release. She currently serves as the Chief Program Officer and is passionate about helping women become their best successful selves. Dr. Bullock’s bio is available on the non-profit’s website: https://arise-collective.org/doris-bullock

Hello to All !

Please note that all Raleigh Wake Branch Activities and Calendar posts are temporarily suspended until further notice.  We are restructuring and will reconvene at a future time.

Thank you!

It’s out time again! Looking forward to seeing you all at our monthly meeting.  Check your email for the zoom link.

We’ll have a program that will catch us all up on our officer election results. Meet our new co-presidents Brandy Ndao and Terry Wall!

• our book club anniversary recognition
• our plans for the upcoming year 
  See you all on Tuesday !!!

Let’s Welcome Our Speaker

Regelyn “Reggie” Edwards

Regelyn “Reggie” Edwards is the Executive Director of The Encouraging Place, a non-profit ministry in Raleigh, NC created to serve women/families and work toward racial healing. A Raleigh native, she attended local colleges and graduated from Justice Fellowship College of Theology with a Master of Arts in Ministry in 2005.  Reggie is also an ordained Minister of the Gospel.

Reggie has over 25 years of experience working in urban communities.  She has impacted over 5,000 women through women’s empowerment programs and is a Certified Life Coach. She has also led hundreds of men and women in a deeper understanding of race and reconciliation.   She serves as a consultant with churches/organizations on Biblical Reconciliation and works to help churches bridge the racial divide.  In addition to several groups she coordinates, Reggie also holds annual conferences and forums on dismantling racism…God’s way. She believes one cannot adequately deal with issues around racism without a historical, cultural, structural and institutional analysis.  Reggie is a strong proponent of the Racial Equity Institute and participates on a regular basis.

Following God’s call, Reggie Edwards joined Building Together Ministries in 1994, where she coordinated the FRIENDS (youth) mentoring program, the women’s ministry and the Racial Reconciliation/Christian Community Development Outreach.  She says, “everything I know about urban ministry, I learned at Building Together”.  Another one of her passions is the people of Haiti, and she serves on mission teams there often.

Our Special Guest Speaker

Lena Epps Brooker was born in Lumberton and grew up in the rural community of Saddletree in Robeson County in eastern NC.   She attended Magnolia School, a public school for American Indians, and was the first American Indian (and first person of color) to graduate from Meredith College, Raleigh.  She lived in Raleigh for 26 years, taught school, and worked for NC State Government, including the Commission of Indian Affairs, the Department of Employment and Training, and The Women’s Center.  She was the corporate diversity consultant for a multi-state financial institution.  Brooker’s volunteer activities in Raleigh included board member of the city’s Human Relations Council, the Arts Council, and the Triangle Native American Society.  She served on the boards of NC Council of Women, NC American Civil Liberties Union, and the administrative board of Hayes Barton United Methodist church.  She is a certified lay minister for the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church.  Brooker’s honors include the Lights of Hope Award from the Wake Public Schools, Woman of Achievement Award from the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of NC, Who’s Who in the South, and the Distinguished Woman Award from American Indian Women of Proud Nations.  Lena is married to Jim Brooker and lives north of Asheville on a mountainside overlooking Reems Creek Valley.  In addition to enjoying time with their two children, she also gardens and plays tennis.

Biography retrieved from http://cmlitfest.org/2019-authors/

More about Lena here  https://prabook.com/web/lena_epps.brooker/908340

We meet on Tuesday June 16Th at 5:15pm so MARK YOUR ZOOM CALENDARS!!!

Let’s Welcome   Marian Lewin

League of Women Voters

Marian Lewin has served in several leadership positions for the League of Women Voters-Wake since becoming a member in 1997 including as president from 2014 to 2019. In addition to chairing the Voters Services Committee, Marian is Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of North Carolina. She has worked extensively in the public policy arena. In Washington DC, she worked for the General Accountability Office (GAO) in the National Security and International Affairs Division responding to congressional requests for legislative and budgetary analysis of Department of Defense and State Department programs. Marian then worked at the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture providing analysis of legislative proposals. In Raleigh, she served as an Assistant to the Commissioner in the NC Department of Labor. While in Warsaw, Poland, she managed a cooperative agreement between the AFL-CIO and the Polish Worker’s Union, Solidarity. Since 1996 Marian has served as a precinct worker for the Wake County Board of Elections, most recently serving as an election-day Coordinator. She has a BA from the University of California-Davis and an MS and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Please join us!  Our guest has timely information that’s more important now in our history of democracy and freedom than ever before!!

Topic: AAUW Wake Zoom Meeting
Time: Jun 16, 2020 05:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83827582602

Meeting ID: 838 2758 2602

Our May Speaker

Our speaker is Lynn Edmonds, Outreach Director for Public Schools First NC and Great Schools in Wake. She has worked in public education advocacy for 10 years, first as a volunteer and then with Public Schools First NC beginning in 2013. Lynn graduated with an associate’s degree from Peace College (now William Peace University in Raleigh). She has served on multiple PTA and civic boards, including her current, at-large position on the Wake County Board of Library Commissioners. A native North Carolinian, Lynn and her husband attended and graduated from Durham Public Schools. They have two children who both graduated from Wake County public schools. We are eager to hear Lynn’s perspective on the current state of affairs of our public schools. Here are a few questions to get the conversation started:
· How are grades, especially exams being handled for 2020?
· What factors go into planning for the fall in Wake County Schools?
· With unequal access to the Internet, isn’t online education an unfair delivery system?
· What other challenges are teachers and administrators are coping with?
· What difference (if any) is made for the future in Wake County by the (December 2019)
Leandro Report and the (April 2020) state and system responses?

AAUW Zoom Meeting Tuesday 5/19/2020 5:15 PM to 7:15 PM
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89642136806

ONE ADDITIONAL NOTE: The fiscal year for AAUW ends on June 30. So, it’s time to renew your membership at all 3 levels (local, state and national AAUW). Both the Membership VP & the branch Treasurer have the capacity to invoice members for the 2020-21 year, if you’d like to get a notice. Alternatively, if you know your membership number, you can go straight to aauw.org and click on Membership. You’ll be guided to the online form for renewal. Send me an email to get your membership number.