A Message from the President of AAUW

Heather Abushanab

The election is finally over and we are moving into a transition period before the new administration takes office. No matter who you supported in the election, the work and priorities of AAUW, AAUW CA and AAUW Redlands branch remain the same. We are dedicated to advancing equity for women and girls through education, empowerment, and advocacy.

AAUW and AAUW CA work on our behalf in both Washington DC and Sacramento. Twenty-five of 29 bills that aligned with the AAUW CA Public Policy priorities were signed into law by Governor Newsom. These bills included support for rape victims, transparency requirements on Title IX for our public colleges, and protections for health care providers and their patients. You can see the bills that AAUW CA is currently tracking in their tracking report. On November 19th, AAUW hosted a webinar discussing women’s economic security, including key issues like pay equity, family leave, and affordable quality childcare in the light of the new administration’s likely policy agenda. If you missed this presentation, you will be able to find a recording here.  You can find many other interesting AAUW presentations in the webinar list on the AAUW website.

Locally, we are very proud of our public policy committee under the leadership of Cassie MacDuff. This fall, in collaboration with the University of Redlands Public Policy program we hosted two well-attended candidate forums, one for Redlands City Council and one for the RUSD School Board. All the candidates for office accepted the invitation to participate. One candidate had to withdraw due to illness. Those that participated were grateful for the opportunity to discuss our local issues and their plans for our community.  They also hosted a forum for CA state representatives ahead of the primary election this past spring. These types of events are vital for the health of our local government.

In the spring, public policy committee members will participate in Lobby Days, an opportunity to meet directly with those who represent our area in state and national government.

If you would like to participate in Lobby Days or get more involved in the public policy focus of AAUW, please consider joining our branch public policy committee. You can also tune in to the AAUW CA peer group meeting about public policy on Thursday, December 5^th, at 3:00 p.m. on Zoom.

As we wrap up Thanksgiving and move into the rest of the Holiday Season, I am especially grateful for the AAUW Redlands board who works to make AAUW Redlands branch such a successful endeavor. Our Holiday Boutique raised about $2000 for the Nancy Yowell Memorial Scholarships. The first weekend in December, members will serve at the YMCA Holiday Home Tour which benefits YMCA Legal Aid. STEM is working on both Conferences for 8^th grade girls, January 9^th and March 4^th. Our Fundraising committee is preparing FilmFest on April 25^th.  Speech Trek is planning its final competition. The Archive Group is finding lots of interesting stories about our branch. All of these groups are ready to welcome new members. If you are having trouble finding a way to contribute to AAUW, give me a call and I can help you find your fit!

Happy Holidays!

Heather Abushanab
President, AAUW Redlands Branch