UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS
November
Hello Members – About 30 branch members participated in the October program titled ‘What Can I Do To Promote Racial Equality’ with guest speaker Nina Narelle. It was an impactful presentation that generated lots of conversation among the attendees and helped us focus on asking some important questions about our own organization.
Since November is an off-month in our branch program schedule, we asked Linda Loftin, our Program VP, to use this space to give us her thoughts about the October presentation and to give you some updates on what the national and state AAUW organizations are doing around this important topic.
Since November is an off-month in our branch program schedule, we asked Linda Loftin, our Program VP, to use this space to give us her thoughts about the October presentation and to give you some updates on what the national and state AAUW organizations are doing around this important topic.
We Are In A Moment
Linda Loftin, Program VP
This summer in Portland, as around the nation, citizens have begun to examine racism at the personal, cultural, and systemic levels. “We’re in a moment,” explained Nina Narelle, our Zoom speaker on October 13th. As we delve into the history of our country, we begin to understand the development of institutional racism that Black Lives protesters are marching against in the streets.
As a founding partner of Future Work Design, Ms. Narelle and her team help guide organizations to redefine how they work together as groups. One of the lenses they use to examine this is the level of equity and inclusion present in the organization. She notes that “organizations today are built on systems, processes, and structures of the past.” It is our responsibility to examine these systems at a personal as well as societal level.
Ms. Narelle notes that so often organizations ask, “How can we increase diversity in our organization?” She posits that in order to begin the transformation towards more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations, we should be asking, “Why are we so homogenous?” An examination of “how we got here”, can reveal how power structures were established and maintained throughout the history of the organization.
AAUW has also begun this process of examining “Why are we so homogenous?” Kim Churches, CEO of AAUW at the national level spoke about this process at the Summer Skills Leadership Camp in August, 2020. In the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, she acknowledged AAUW’s commitment to the “fight for justice and long-term and lasting change…against racism.” But she also conceded that we have “our work to do.” She committed to advancing the policies and systemic changes identified by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in the “New Era of Public Safety: A Guide to Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing” and the “Vision for Justice”.
At the state level, AAUW of Oregon is focused on educating members about actively working against racism with a Zoom discussion series “Together on the Path to Anti-Racism”. Trish Garner, AAUW State Public Policy Chair, began this discussion at the Summer Skills Camp and recently announced the continuation of the series with a Zoom presentation on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Markisha Smith, Ed.D, Director of the Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights.
Trish also noted that AAUW of Oregon is planning to provide a forum for branches to share anti-racist actions, books, discussion groups or speakers that will help expose and confront the complicated issue of racism in our society.
As a founding partner of Future Work Design, Ms. Narelle and her team help guide organizations to redefine how they work together as groups. One of the lenses they use to examine this is the level of equity and inclusion present in the organization. She notes that “organizations today are built on systems, processes, and structures of the past.” It is our responsibility to examine these systems at a personal as well as societal level.
Ms. Narelle notes that so often organizations ask, “How can we increase diversity in our organization?” She posits that in order to begin the transformation towards more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations, we should be asking, “Why are we so homogenous?” An examination of “how we got here”, can reveal how power structures were established and maintained throughout the history of the organization.
AAUW has also begun this process of examining “Why are we so homogenous?” Kim Churches, CEO of AAUW at the national level spoke about this process at the Summer Skills Leadership Camp in August, 2020. In the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, she acknowledged AAUW’s commitment to the “fight for justice and long-term and lasting change…against racism.” But she also conceded that we have “our work to do.” She committed to advancing the policies and systemic changes identified by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in the “New Era of Public Safety: A Guide to Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing” and the “Vision for Justice”.
At the state level, AAUW of Oregon is focused on educating members about actively working against racism with a Zoom discussion series “Together on the Path to Anti-Racism”. Trish Garner, AAUW State Public Policy Chair, began this discussion at the Summer Skills Camp and recently announced the continuation of the series with a Zoom presentation on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Markisha Smith, Ed.D, Director of the Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights.
Trish also noted that AAUW of Oregon is planning to provide a forum for branches to share anti-racist actions, books, discussion groups or speakers that will help expose and confront the complicated issue of racism in our society.
Future Programs - Mark Your Calendars!
TBD: A tour of "Nevertheless She Persisted" at the Oregon Historical Society
The Latest Branch News:
Catch up with branch news, get information on upcoming programs, check out the Study & Interest Groups, and so much more.
Click here for the latest issue of the Rose City Reporter.
PORTLAND BRANCH ONGOING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Monthly Board of Directors Meetings
Portland branch Board of Directors meetings are open to all members. Attending is an excellent way to get to know the board members and to learn about what's being planned for our branch. Branch Directors meetings are usually held the first Wednesday of each month. For specific dates and time, please see the Portland Branch Calendar above.
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Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity??
Our branch members partner with the Portland area Girl Scouts and the Saturday Academy to offer beginning programming classes to young girls in support of our commitment to STEM education for girls and women. No special tech skills are necessary - just a desire to help young girls expand their knowledge of STEM. If you would like to know more about this program, please contact Ginny McQueen our STEM volunteer coordinator, who will be happy to talk with you about time commitments and responsibilities. And if you would like to know more about the great work Saturday Academy does, check out their website
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OTHER EVENTS & ITEMS OF INTEREST
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YWCA Events & Workshops
The YWCA of Greater Portland's mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. To support that mission, the 'Y' offers a wide variety of events and workshops every month. Check out their website to find an event or workshop or to get on their email distribution list to be notified of upcoming events.
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Did you know that women in Oregon earned 82 cents for every one dollar men earned in 2017? Teaching women to better negotiate salaries is one way to help close the gender pay gap and AAUW has rolled out two programs to help close that gap. Start Smart is a workshop aimed at helping college women build skills and confidence to negotiate salaries. Work Smart is designed to help women at any stage of their careers negotiate better salaries and benefits and is now available in an online version! Ready to get started? Click here to register for a FREE online Work Smart salary negotiation course. |
League of Women Voters Civic Education Programs
The Portland League of Women Voters Civic Education Tuesday evening programs are free and open to the public. Programs are designed to inform the community about relevant issues. For a complete listing of the programs or to view a video of previous presentations please go to their website.
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