AAUW MISSION STATEMENT
AAUW promotes equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, or sexual orientation.
AAUW provides many opportunities for women to explore their interests. Books, foods, the arts, trips, whatever, but always with a focus on the role of women. Our goal is to foster and encourage women “to stand up and be counted”
Click here to download the current issue of our local newsletter BRANCHLINES
Click here to download the latest issue ofThe Keystoner
The Keystoner is published four times a year, this newsletter shares information about our work across the state. We invite you to be a part of the exciting things happening across the state and to participate in AAUW Pennsylvania activities. The Keystoner will keep you informed.
AAUW Reading will be celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2023.
Saturday, September 30, 2023. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Albright’s South Lounge Student Center
Luncheon $25
Albright will provide a luncheon while we entertain you with stories of the past.
The celebration includes an historical review of our first 100 years including models from the fashion department of Albright College displaying fashion trends of the day.
If you have not received an invitation contact Carol Toomey aauwreadingpa@gmail.com
Reading’s 275th Anniversary
On Sunday, October 1, the city of Reading will celebrate their 275th anniversary with a community parade from RAAC to City Park at 10 am. Since it’s our 100th Anniversary of AAUW, Reading Branch, we will join the parade with members walking and/or riding in 2 cars: Toomey’s 1930 Model A, and their 2013 Pontiac Convertible, bearing banners with our AAUW 100th Anniversary logo. There’s minimal room to ride, but the first 5-6 members who would like to participate in the parade can indicate they would like to ride the mile, instead of walking. We’d like to wear white blouses, like the suffragists did 100 years ago. Anyone who can walk the mile is warmly welcomed and appreciated. Please let Carol Toomey know if you are interested.
Reading FilmFest
Although our LunaFest, held in May was last minute (due to Cliff Bars pulling their support of LunaFest after May 31), we had a supportive audience enjoying the films and dessert and Luna Bars on May 30th. We are disappointed that there are no plans at this time for Cliff to continue this LunaFest by and about women, but our branch will be supporting a Women’s block of films, including 4 of those LunaFest films, at the ReadingFilmFest on Saturday, October 28, at 7:30 pm, at the Reading IMax. We will be holding our jewelry sale at the Imax from 12-3pm and 6-7:30 pm on that day also. From 3-6 pm, the ReadingFilmFest is showing the original Wizard of Oz, with the movie’s historian, John Fricke, as special guest and workshop presenter. We hope you will be interested to join us at the movies, so get your tickets online at readingfilmfest.com. Stay for the entire day and volunteer to help sell the jewelry. Call Carol Toomey or Eileen Ritz
Book Bonanza Update
Unfortunately, due to the amount of renovation needed before book bonanza can be held at the county building, the area of the building Book Bonanza will use was not ready for 2023. We will let everyone know when there is more information.
It’s Personal
By Judith Kraines, Public Policy Chair
Today I’d like to focus on a crucial AAUW goal: women’s autonomy. This AAUW policy is firmly rooted in the fact that women have brains and morality and can make decisions for themselves and their families.
Ohio Constitution: Ohio voters (57% to 43%) rejected a constitutional amendment to require 60% of voters to support a change to the Ohio constitution. This amendment was written to thwart an amendment on the November ballot that seeks to protect the abortion rights currently in the Ohio constitution.
Equal Rights Amendment: I attended a national AAUW Zoom on ways the Equal Rights Amendment could – in our lifetimes – become law. (I learned about and joined AAUW while working to ratify the amendment in Oklahoma 47 years ago.)
AAUW supports three current strategies but is focusing on the third.
One is a prior House Resolution updated to show all needed ratifications have occurred. It passed the House, but is unlikely to pass the Senate where it would need 60 votes.
Second is a new Resolution that calls on the archivist to certify and publish the ERA. The archivist, according to opinions on the Zoom call, has not acted so as not to create controversy while the Legislature has the ability to act.
Third is House Joint Resolution 25. It provides that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, regardless of any time limit in the preamble to the original proposal. It was noted that states voted to ratify the actual language of the amendment and not the time limit, which has been changed by Congress before.
HJ R25 was assigned to a committee whose chairman will not put it on the agenda. A discharge petition is needed to get it out of committee and to the House floor. Berks County’s Rep. Dean and Houlihan and on are board; Rep. Meuser is not. If you live in his district, please contact him to say you want the ERA in your lifetime. You can email from his website. If you have relatives in other states, AAUW urges you to contact them to encourage them to ask their Congressional representatives to support the discharge petition for HJ R25. meuser.house.gov/address_authentication (you have to go through an address verification first so he’ll only take email from his constituents.)
AAUW in Action, where we are with Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, protecting staff and students in any educational institution or program that receives federal funds.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of Title IX, its regulations, and its guidance. AAUW believes OCR must receive adequate funding to strengthen its Title IX enforcement efforts, and advocates thorough investigation of complaints and proactive compliance review.
All AAUW public policy actions take direction from the AAUW Public Policy Priorities, voted on by members every two years. AAUW is a nonpartisan organization—but nonpartisan does not mean “non-political.” Since its first meeting in 1881, AAUW has been a catalyst for change. Together, through our coordinated and strategic advocacy, we’ve enacted invaluable legislation at the federal, state, and local levels. The 2021-2023 Public Policy priorities directly identify strengthening and vigorously enforcing Title IX.
Title IX’s Work Is Not Done
Title IX has advanced gender equity in schools since 1972. The law not only impacted athletics, it impacts all educational programs and provided for opportunity for all females.
With 37 words, Congress changed the face of education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
AAUW has always been a proponent of Title IX. “Title IX of the Education Amendments was enacted into law on June 23, 1972. It took another three years to develop sufficient regulations to enforce the law, leading AAUW to establish a coalition of 15 women’s and educational organizations. The National Coalition of Women and Girls Education (NCWGE) is still in operation today, providing Title IX guidance and enforcement recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education.”
but much work remains:
- AAUW’s own research revealed that two-thirds of college students experience sexual harassment. Studies have also found that approximately 26% of all female undergraduate students and nearly 7% of all male undergraduate students have experienced sexual assault. Additionally, AAUW research found that 56% of girls and 40% of boys in grades 7-12 face sexual harassment.
- Girls have 1.2 million fewer chances to play sports in high school than boys. Less than two-thirds of African American and Hispanic girls play sports, while more than three-quarters of white girls do.
- Only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors are women.
- Pregnant and parenting students are often steered toward separate, less rigorous schools.
- The rate of women’s enrollment in certain nontraditional careers remains at low levels, with some fields well below 25% in women’s representation.
For more information https://www.aauw.org/resources/policy/position-title-ix/
LATEST PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS FROM AAUW
voting on a constitutional amendment package that would dramatically shift the balance of government power in Pennsylvania and call multiple rights into question, including the right to abortion healthcare. You can read our statement from last week here. The League strongly opposes this bill package (SB106) and is disappointed at the misuse of legislative power coming from Harrisburg. We are in the process of identifying different options for opposition, including speaking with lawmakers and coalition partners to develop a strategy to protect the rights of Pennsylvania citizens. As an organization founded to defend democracy, we will bring the strength of our network, power, and resources to this fight. Here’s what you need to know: The bill (SB106) contained FIVE proposed constitutional amendments which would greatly impact Pennsylvania citizens. These amendments would:
SB106 represents an attack on many of the issues the League has advocated for over the years, including the right to safely and easily vote and the right to bodily autonomy, and a fair and responsive government held accountable to checks and balances. Furthermore, the passage of Senate Bill 106 is emblematic of how broken the legislative process in Harrisburg is. Legislative leaders manipulated long standing procedural rules to ram through a bill with multiple contentious topics AFTER 11 pm at night, late in the day, just before summer recess, with no public hearings, no genuine minority party input, and little opportunity for the public to engage or even see what was taking place. Here’s what happens next:
What League members and supporters can do: It’s time to turn our anger into activism. The November election is just around the corner, and it’s our responsibility to speak up in the meantime. We need your voice to hold our legislators accountable for their actions.
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On July 15th, the Pennsylvania legislature recessed until September after
AAUW Statement Strongly Condemning the U.S. Supreme Court’s Opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following is a statement from Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW Chief Executive Officer:
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) strongly condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The decision overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutionally protected right nearly 50 years ago and ignores the will of the American people, 80% of whom support legal abortion.
AAUW believes everyone has the right to make decisions about their own reproductive lives without government interference. Abortion access is vital to women’s ability to control their lives, bodies and futures. Without reproductive freedom, there can be no equity.
Being able to choose whether and when to become a parent improves women’s well-being and fosters economic security—a crucial component of AAUW’s mission. This is particularly important in a country that lacks accessible maternal health care, paid caregiving leave and workplace protections for pregnant workers.
The Court’s decision hurts all of us, but it will do the most harm to low-income people, women of color, immigrants, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people, because these groups already face substantial barriers to accessing reproductive services and health care.
While the Court’s decision is a major setback for all Americans, AAUW remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting reproductive rights, a vital component of gender equity.
If this ongoing struggle is important to you please consider becoming a member of our local Reading branch AAUW
PA State AAUW | National AAUW
Educational Foundation | Legal Advocacy Fund
AAUW Action Fund
Congressional Voting Record 116th Congress (January 2019-September 2020)
Click here to download the current issue of our local newsletter BRANCHLINES
Click here to download the latest issue of The Keystoner
The Keystoner is published four times a year, this newsletter shares information about our work across the state. We invite you to be a part of the exciting things happening across the state and to participate in AAUW Pennsylvania activities. The Keystoner will keep you informed.