AAUW WEST HARRIS COUNTY BRANCH

AAUW West Harris County,
Houston, Texas Branch
GENERAL BRANCH MEETING AND PROGRAM
Saturday, September 27^th at 9:30 a.m.

NEW VENUE:  Blue Willow Book Shop Annex
14532 Memorial Dr. (at Dairy Ashford) Houston, TX 77079

Discovering Daughters of Penelope: Women of Importance
Speaker:  Paulette Pastor, Past Grand Governor of DOP

In 1920, after many years of collaborative efforts of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, women finally gained the constitutional right to VOTE!  This is something we almost take for granted today. Also, in the 1920’s, another women’s organization was founded, The Daughters of Penelope.  Our branch program this month will give us an opportunity to learn about this special organization – its history, its projects, and its shared visions. It is validating to know there are other organizations that promote equitable opportunities for women. Valerie Kohler, Owner of Blue Willow Bookshop, has graciously provided space for our branch to gather in the Annex next door to the shop. Please join us to socialize and learn at this special new venue.

Welcome to another year at AAUW-West Harris County Branch.  This year will mark our Branch’s 50^th anniversary!  Yes, this branch was born in 1976, the year our country turned 200!

WHC’s first president was Arlene Baker.  What were you doing in 1976?  President Jimmy Carter was elected President in November that year, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” won the Oscar for Best Picture, Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics, and I was a junior in my high school in Hong Kong with no inkling that 10 years later I would be living in Houston, Texas!

I think that this would be an excellent time to reflect on the history of AAUW and why we joined this organization. AAUW was formed in 1881 by Emily Fairbanks Talbot, her daughter Marion Talbot, and Ellen Swallow Richards.  These women invited 15 alumnae from 8 colleges to a meeting in Boston with the objective of creating an organization that would help women find greater opportunities to use their education as well as promoting and assisting other women’s pathways to university education.  The Association of Collegiate Alumnae, or ACA, was formed in 1882, the predecessor of AAUW.

AAUW’s mission is a simply stated:  “to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy.”  We do this by advocating for fair pay and economic opportunity, removing barriers to discrimination and advocating for laws and policies that ensure equity. AAUW is non-partisan, but not values-neutral.  We work against barriers and biases that stand in the way of gender equity, and we work to support equity in education in order to improve the lives of women and girls both in the US and internationally.  We stand on the shoulders of the women from 1881, as well as the amazing women who founded West Harris County Branch in 1976.  I am honored to share the journey with you all as we begin our 50^th year.  Thank you!

Lilian Care, President

If you are in need of an AAUW nametag, you can order one today!

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