Volume 32, Issue 5

AAUW advances equity for women and gir ls through advocacy, education, phi lanthropy and research .

Special Dates of Interest

Jan 9 - Meeting at Cobb Cty Central Library

Jan 18 - Book Group Feb. 5 - Roving Gourmet Feb 13 - Meeting at Cobb

Cty Central Library Mar 5 - Roving Gourmet Mar 12 - Monthly Meeting Mar 21 - Book Group

January Meeting 1

Roving Gourmet - Feb 5 Book Group - Jan 18 More IMPORTANT Dates

2

President’s Corner 3

Wonderful Women 3

Scholarships 4

Eighth Grade STEM 4

Woman of the Year 4

Debbie’s report on Public Policy

5

Cryptogram 4

Inside this issue:

January, 2016

Saturday, January 9, 2016, 2:30 p.m.

Cobb County Central (Switzer) Library,

266 Roswell St., Marietta: GA 30060

“Let Our Voices be Heard” 

EDUCATE: Get an AAUW “selfie” of AAUW support of current legislation affecting women and families. Led by AAUW GA State Public Policy

Chair, Debbie Karvey.

INSPIRE: Never underestimate the power of one…or more. Collective voices lead to positive change. Let our voices be heard!

EMPOWER: Ready to show your support at the meeting? Write your own letter, or add your signature to one prepared, advocating passage of the Family Care Act, a GA House bill that allows workers to use medical

leave for care of a family member.

(Letters will be compiled and mailed to legislators next day, to arrive same day.)

Our Book Group meeting will be Monday, January 18th at 2 pm in the new home!!! of

Nancy Coakley 2168 Winslow Cottage Cir.

Marietta, GA. 30062

Barbara B is providing the refreshments and Karen P will facilitate the discussion of the book.

(Directions will be sent the week prior) Please let Nancy know if you are coming:

770/971-8227; or nance34@comcast.net

Good wishes to all for the new year of 2016!!!!

Book Group

ROVING GOURMET

PAGE 2

Our book this month:

Shadow Song

Our book this month:

Life After Life

by Jill McCorkle

For additional Book Group information please email or call Barbara Hammond at

Bhammond@kennesaw.edu or 770-973-1988

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5

Paper Mill Grill

255 Village Parkway NE, Suite 310 Marietta, GA 30067 Tel: (678) 809–5586

Inside Paper Mill Village - corner of Johnson Ferry and Paper Mill

www.papermillgrill.com FRIDAY, February 5th, at 7:00 PM

Please contact Judy R for reservations by WEDNESDAY,  February 3rd 

at jvr@pcvisions.com or 770-319-1776 There will be no Roving Gourmet in January - the consensus - too much Holiday food!!

 

Upcoming programs

Saturday, February 13, 2016, 2:30 p.m. Cobb County Central Library, Roswell St., Marietta. “One Billion Rising Revolution” Panel on Domestic Violence in Cobb County. Sponsored with the YWCA of NW GA and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Public invited.

Saturday, March 12, 2016, 2:30 p.m. Cobb County Central Library. “Forward March” honoring women veterans in Women’s History Month. Women veterans share their stories.

SAVE “NEXT” MONTH’S DATE!! Friday, March 4th

Happy New Year 2016! It’s so hard to believe it’s been 16 years since the turn of the century! Another year has gone by, with all its accumulated ups and downs. All too often we were shocked by random shootings by psychotics or extremists using assault rifles, murdering innocent lives and children as young as 5. We worried about what comes next. Could it happen to us? The odds are heavily against that happening, but, still, worry raises the stress level. It doesn’t help that we are saturated with bad news. Happy stories don’t get much coverage; good things that happen are tagged on at the end of a news hour for “human interest”. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to turn off the news streams and take time to dwell on the good things in life around us every day—our family, friends, good books, and the kindness of strangers. Doing so is reassuring.

When we do turn on the TV, we see a certain man running for President hurling the worst in-sults against women ever said publically in the history of our country, and he still has wide support! His rhetoric, and the followers it has generated, forces us to recognize the under-belly of sexism, ra-cism, discrimination, and elitism that still exist in America. Such attitudes linger on for decades, even centuries, often hidden from view but just waiting for someone to inflame them once again. Will these baser instincts win in November? I don’t think so. I have faith in the collective minds of Americans to uphold the values of equality on which our country was founded, and for which many, like Martin Luther King, gave their life. It is these same values that draw us as women to AAUW. We know women’s equality is not yet fully won, and so the beat will go on until the mission is achieved--no matter how long it takes. Arden

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 PAGE 3

Things that took too long to change: Women’s suffrage – 80 years (1840 -1920). WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) – 33 years to be recognized as veterans, get GI benefits, and permission to drape an American flag on their coffin; 65 years to be awarded the Congres-sional Gold Medal for bravery and service.

SPECIAL HONORS go to Rita Neal and Pam Flournoy for their service to the community and to AAUW Cobb over the years of their membership. From funds raised at the September Book Fair, a $1,500 donation was sent to AAUW’s Educational Opportunity Fund in honor of Rita, and an additional $1,500 was donated to the AAUW Legacy Advocacy Fund in honor of Pam. On behalf of the branch, thank you Rita and Pam for giving countless hours of volunteer service to the AAUW mission and that of the community. You inspire and motivate us all to follow your example.

In principle and in practice 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, sexual orientation, national origin, or

disability. Membership is open to anyone who holds an associate's or equivalent, bachelor's, or higher degree

from a regionally accredited college or university.

Judy Ribarsky, Editor 282 Renae Lane SW, Marietta, GA 30060

Please call, mail, email newsletter articles by the 22nd of the month prior to publication

date. Phone: 770-319-1776

E-mail: jvr@pcvisions.com

"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle."

~ Kahlil Gibran

Solve the Cryptogram (winner is first response to arden_stone@yahoo.com.

Repeat prize winners get recognition, a big hug, and must read out loud the solved cryptogram with passion and conviction):

DRP DNJP UPMDBPYGM EW RP TRK MPLPN IKGWDW GIKJD GMCDREMU.

DRJW WGCPDR OPGM IGXDEWD YKBEPNP (1622-1673)

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 PAGE 4

From the Book Fair proceeds, two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to deserv-ing women in March. The process for applying begins January 15. Applications may be made online on our www.cobbcounty-ga.aauw.net website. Application forms can also be mailed if preferred. The women must be currently enrolled in a Cobb County college or university. Deadline for submission is February 29. Please notify those you know who may be interested to take advantage of the opportunity.

Eighth Grade Essay Contest Launches in January “Why STEM for Me?” is the title of the Eighth Grade Essay contest that begins in January. The contest is open to all 8th grade girls in the Cobb County Public School system and the City of Marietta. The contest will award First, Second, and Third Place winners with $100, $75, and $50 respectively. The contest is designed to stimulate girls’ interest in entering the non-traditional fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Start thinking……. ……about who you want to nominate for our 2016 “Woman of the Year”. Send your suggestions to Barbara Blue with a description of her accomplishments and why you think she would be a good choice. The membership will have an opportunity to vote in March. Barbara’s email address is blu16br@gmail.com.

COBB UPDATE

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5

November and December Public Policy Events and Update Debbie Karvey, as Georgia Public Policy Chair was able to attend a lobby day event sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. This event, on November 19th, took place in Wash-ington, DC, with coalition organizations, including AAUW, gathering together to garner senate and house support for key inclusions in the rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA.) Originally penned during the civil rights movement to provide equitable education for all children, this bill was most recently reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act. It became apparent that the exist-ing law needed improvements as it was no longer serving its purpose. Recently President Obama signed the newly re-authorized bill now called, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA.) The 4 key issues requested by coalition members of their Senators and Congressmen were: Federal Oversight

Equity of resources Disaggregation / cross-tabulation of data Accountability

Coalition members this past week participated in a follow up call organized by the Leadership Confer-ence. Materials, strategies and oversight will be made available. The new law places respon-sibility on states and local government to en-able every student to succeed. Accountability and equity of resources are included in the bill, but cross-tabulation and federal oversight have been minimized. It will be an important new bill to monitor here in Georgia, especially as non-profit and parent advocate groups earlier this year petitioned Governor Deal to improve GNETS schools – claiming disabled students civil rights are being denied by segregating them in inadequate schools.

Pictured from left to right: Marry Modder, Deborah Karvey, Christine Siebeneck, Katherine Burgess, Erin Prangley (AAUW Associate Director of Government Relations), and Elizabeth Holden (AAUW Grassroots Advocacy Manager).  In the beginning of December, at the invitation of Georgia 9to5’s Charmaine Davis, Debbie Karvey attended the annual meeting of the Family Values @ Work organization in New York City at the Ford Foundation. Coalition mem-bers representing agencies and non-profits across the country attended. As of the meeting, three states have successfully added paid sick leave to governing statutes. Key take-aways are intersectionality of issues and the need to establish relationships with voters to share and care about family values at work. There is still a lot of work to do. Georgia coalition members continue to work to pass the Family Care Act (FCA.) This act would provide a defini-tion of today’s family, enable employers with 10 or more employees to extend earned sick leave (paid or unpaid) to care for family members without fear of losing his/her job and allot up to 5 family sick days per year. The mutually beneficial productivity and morale is a win/win for all. AAUW members will be asked to rally and support the passage of the FCA in 2016 … it has a good chance of be-ing passed as coalition members strategize and plan. The current plan is to introduce the bill in both senate and house at the same time.

PAGE 5 COBB UPDATE