Congratulations to our Brandy Burnett

for securing AAUW’s Community Action Grant for her “Smart Girls Smart Choices, Inc.” Project!

Community Action Grants provide funds to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equality for women and girls.

Through Smart Girls Smart Choices, Inc. the goal is to provide girls with the opportunity to participate in workshops specifically designed to spark an interest in math, science, and technology, field trips, guest speakers and interactive contact with innovators to broaden the scope of interest and ambitions.  The balancing influences of meeting and interacting with high achieving women can help girls discover and take seriously their own passions. Goals will be meet through consistent participation in interactive workshops, monthly face to face contact and engagement with   mentors, who will include project staff, AAUW members, workshop presenters, community partners and members of the business and professional sector.  http://www.smartgirlssmartchoices.com/index.html

Smart Girls Smart Choices, Inc.  has been selected to receive an AAUW community Action Grant  for the 2016-2017 award year. Founded in 1881, AAUW is one of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women, due to the generosity and legacy of generations of AAUW members.  AAUW has chosen to fund this project because of the promise it holds for empowering women and girls. 

Laundromat Project

with speaker Dr. Christine Ganis, President

Southern Pines/Sandhill Branch

Laundromats can be boring places for kids, except in Moore County since 2014. The Southern Pines/Sandhills Branch of AAUW, advocated for early literacy by providing over 4,000 books in three locations, including two laundromats. Branch President, Dr. Christine Ganis, a psychologist, saw an opportunity in a local laundromat when children had nothing to do. What they did do was whine to their caretakers that they were bored, and push each other in carts, to the annoyance of patrons. Ganis reasoned, “If these kids had age-appropriate books to read, and could even keep them if they liked the subject, all the better.” So the branch embarked on a pilot project, using consignment books and small donations to fuel their efforts. Dr. Ganis will share her story with us and give us some food for good fodder as we continue to empower the young adults in our community.

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

with speaker Tara Romano, president of NC Women United

and Sara Cross of SURJ

This month’s program portion features Tara Romano, who will make an informative–and possibly challenging—address. Tara is president of NC Women United (NCWU)–a visible and effective proponent of activism for women’s issues. You can read NCWU’s March newsletter by clicking on the link HERE.

Tara will encourage our branch to join a new movement called Showing Up for Racial Justice (or SURJ), showingupforracialjustice.org. Through membership in SURJ, Tara and fellow members promote action that challenges racial injustice and more.

There is a recent online article that Tara wrote in the last few days on the subject of the disagreements over Charlotte’s anti-discrimination laws. Click the link to read a fair and informative account of the controversy over the Charlotte ordinance.

SURJ is a national organization with about 100 chapters:  “SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. We work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.”; The six core values are: calling people in, not calling out; taking risks, learning and keeping going; tap into mutual interest; accountability through collective action; enough for everyone; growing is good. SURJ helps people educate themselves about racism through workshops provided by OAR, Organizing Against Racism, oarnc.org. They also sponsor a book club and living room conversations.

We are delighted that Tara and Sara will join us and hope that you will be present. Bring a friend. Tara’s address will be another in a series of memorable programs we have enjoyed this year.

Bring a friend to the February 16 meeting of our American Association of University Women branch as we hear from a true pioneer in Durham’s Halls of Justice–Karen (Galloway) Bethea-Shields, the county’s first female judge.

Karen’s story is a rich and inspiring one, filled with a broad array of personal and professional experience, including many “firsts.” She has graciously agreed to speak to elaborate on her journey, after which she’ll entertain questions–whether from aspiring attorneys or from any of us who treasure the freedoms protected by courts of law.

AAUW Art Contest

Did you notice an email from AAUW (national) inviting submissions of original art for publication as AAUW notecards?  “Someone you know” has responded and you can see two pieces of her work (Hydrangeas and Protea) at this url: www.aauw.org/contests/  Vote for TEN works of art.  In March, we’ll find out which submissions were the favorites.

The Poisoned Table: A Novel Paperback – September 1, 2015

by Diane Michael Cantor (Author)

Diane Cantor, is a member of AAUW in Georgia. She has written a book published by Mercer University Press called THE POISONED TABLE.  It is historical fiction about the role Fanny Kemble played in the fight against slavery. Consider this book as one of your book club selections this year!  It is on AMAZON.COM as well as KINDLE as an e-book.

We hope you’ve marked your calendars for the

Tuesday, Oct. 20 Meeting
of the American Association of University Women’s
Raleigh-Wake County Branch

5:15pm    Hospitality

5:30pm    Guest Speaker

6:30pm    Business Session

Please note the program change.
Our October Speaker will be:
BRENDA BERG, CEO BEST-NC

Given the very specific nature of our questions about the current state of public education.
Ms. Berg was recommended to us by our contact at the Public School Forum, Laurie Suggs.

Our officers were impressed with a piece by Brenda Berg, written in response to James Hogan, former NC teacher and strident critic of the current administration. In an editorial in August 2015, Hogan blamed NC’s political leadership for poor performance by both the state’s teachers and its students.

Here’s a sample of what Berg had to say on behalf of the business-centered non-profit she heads up:

Rather than pointing fingers, we encourage our fellow North Carolinians to do what we do best—work proactively and collaboratively to find solutions that will elevate educators to the status they deserve. In addition to a commitment to raise teacher pay, a powerful proposal is on the table right now with House and Senate budget negotiators. The plan offers a comprehensive approach to elevate teachers and principals by recruiting, preparing, developing, and supporting great educators so they can focus on what matters most to them and to us—our students. This is the antithesis of a “war” on public education and the most-likely antidote to persistently low-performing schools.

We invite you to join us on October 20 to learn more and to pose for our speaker your own questions about public education in NC today.