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LWVO is proud to introduce our redesigned bi-weekly newsletter. We hope you will find the new look easy to read and the content timely and relevant. If you have feedback on this design or you'd like to assist us with our communications activities, just reply to this email!
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Evolutionary Blues Screening
The LWVUS celebrates Black History Month by highlighting the accomplishments of Black women who have played a pivotal role in powering democracy—women like Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, and LaTosha Brown. Read more here.
 We also want to draw attention to the contributions of artists in Oakland’s Black community. Evolutionary Blues...West Oakland's Music Legacy is an award winning full-length documentary featuring interviews with more than 30 artists who regularly played in clubs and music venues that once lined Oakland’s 7th Street, a thriving self-sustaining Black community. It’s a story about the Great Migration, told through the lens and culture of blues musicians who carried the soul of their Southern roots to Oakland. See it at the Grand Lake Theater on Thursday, February 24th, 6-9 pm.
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 February 14th marked the 102nd birthday of the League of Women Voters that began as a ‘mighty political experiment’ 102 years ago, aiming to help newly enfranchised women exercise their rights as voters. As women fought to claim their right to vote, the existing power structure and people in it sought to tamp them down through physical, mental, and social violence.
This birthday comes at a critical time for our democracy. The 2022 primary election season will soon kick off with people voting under new laws and within new maps. Women in the League have powered democracy for over 100 years. Join women across the country coming together to build power for Election 2022.
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Bay Area League Day - Solving for Housing
Saturday, Feb. 19th, 10am-2:30pm
Learn how leading environmental and housing advocates are coming together to create nature-based solutions for using our land and equitably grow our cities. Hear legislators and state and regional experts discuss housing affordability while addressing climate challenges.
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Check your carbon footprint with this calculator published by featured speaker Christopher M. Jones, Ph.D. Director of the CoolClimate Network and leading expert in carbon footprint analysis and regional climate policy. |
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Defending Democracy Speaker
Thursday, March 1st, 4pm
Dean Chemerinsky is a nationally recognized expert on the US Supreme Court and election law. In 2017, National Jurist named him the most influential person in legal education in the US. He has authored 14 books and more than 200 law review articles on a broad spectrum of constitutional law issues. He frequently argues appellate cases, including before the US Supreme Court.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert about the scope of SCOTUS power in our elections and looming threats to our voting rights.
This free talk will be live on Zoom and YouTube and will include Q&A. It is co-sponsored by local Leagues including LWVO, and hosted by the Piedmont League.
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Money talks! Last month was the 12th anniversary of Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling allowing unlimited money from big money donors to flow to elections. Hear how we can boost the power of small donors and allow local candidates to run competitive campaigns without wealthy backers! We’ll share new analysis from good government advocates about the influence of big donors on local elections and some possible solutions, such as Seattle’s “Democracy Dollars” program.
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In Case You Missed It...
The Defending Democracy series launched January 11th with a discussion on Voting Rights by LWVC President Carol Moon Goldberg. You can watch the 1-hour recording or read a short summary HERE. You can view Rob Richie’s February 10th talk on Ranked Choice Voting, the most popular new election reform in the country, HERE.
Next Up In the Defending Democracy Speaker Series
Dr. Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and former Senior Director for European & Russian Affairs at the National Security Council, will give us an International Perspective on US Democracy and Election Subversion. Check out her recent memoir, There is Nothing for You Here, emphasizing how educational opportunities allowed her, and can enable others, to advance. Wednesday, March 30th, 4pm. Register HERE.
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Why We Need Oversight of the Sheriff Office
 Santa Rita, the Alameda County jail, has one of the highest rates of in custody deaths in the state. Most inmates are in jail pre-trial, and thus presumed innocent! New State law gives our County Board of Supervisors (BOS) the opportunity to create a citizen oversight commission of the Sheriff Office, which is responsible for jail conditions. LWVO Board Member Jody Nunez, who recently retired after 32 years as an Alameda County Public Defender, is helping to structure the new commission. Read her interview and learn why it is critical that BOS create a community-based oversight commission to improve jail conditions.
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LVWUS Updates
Supreme Court Nomination: The President's commitment to nominate the first African American woman to the Court is historic.  The American people deserve a champion of voting, human and civil rights. Read LWVUS' memo to President Biden highlighting questions he should ask as he considers his nominee.
Focus on Voting Rights: The League joined over 50 groups on a letter to Majority Leader Schumer urging him to remain focused on the core issue of racial discrimination in voting.  While we must reform the Electoral Counts Act, that is not adequate to meet the current moment. We must also ensure that we eliminate discriminatory barriers to the ballot that prevent votes from being cast and threaten our democracy.
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