The 2024-25 session of the Wheaton-Glen Ellyn Branch of AAUW is BEGINNING!!
First Branch Meeting of the Season– Wednesday, September 4th at 6:45 p.m., Glen Ellyn Police Station, 65 S. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn and via Zoom
Agenda– Our guest speaker will be followed by a showcase of Branch interest groups and activities for our 2024-25 season.
Speaker– Jelena Radovic-Fanta, PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Governors State University, Chicago.
Title of Presentation– You Leave the Family to Give Them a Better Life: Migration, Gender, and Belonging in Chile’s Grape-Export Industry. Associate Professor Radovic-Fanta’s research was enabled by her AAUW Fellowship grant awarded in 2018.
Over the past seven years, more than 100,000 Haitian nationals—alongside Venezuelan and Colombian nationals—migrated to Chile attracted by promises of work and lax migratory policies in the country. After arriving to the capital Santiago, many turned to nearby regions such as the Aconcagua Valley finding seasonal employment in the grape-export sector. Characterized by long hours and hazardous working conditions, the grape-export industry relies on feminized labor, vulnerable workforce, and more recently, immigrant labor. Based on a longitudinal ethnographic project, this work highlights the intersections of labor, migration, and gender as seasonal workers make a living throughout precarious cycles of employment.
September Calendar
August 27 – Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
August 28 – AM Non-Fiction, 10:00 a.m.
September 3 – Great Decisions Group #3, 1:00 p.m.
September 4 – Branch Kick-Off Meeting, 6:45 p.m., Glen Ellyn Police Station, 65 S. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn
September 5 – Great Decisions Group #1, 1:00 p.m.
September 6 – AM LIT, 9:30 a.m., Glen Ellyn Public Library, 1st Floor Meeting Rooms, 400 Duane St., Glen Ellyn
September 12 – BTE Pre-show Gathering, 5:30 p.m.
September 13 – Film Group, 7:00 p.m.
September 16 – PM LIT, 7:00 p.m., TBD
September 20 – Fall Fundraising Walk, 9:00 a.m., Hidden Lake Preserve, Butterfield Rd. and Rte. 53, Downers Grove
September 24 – Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., TBD
September 28 – DuPage County Elections, Early Voting begins at DuPage Fairgrounds and First Day Vote by Mail ballots are sent out.
* Members: Click here to access Twigs. Password required. Click here for assistance
AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell issued the following statement strongly condemning the US Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
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.
Branch members and supporters marched at the Naperville Reproductive Rights Walk
Carolyn and Marilyn represented our Branch at the Women’s March for Reproductive Rights in January.
Other Branch Activity Updates:
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Our new Branch initiative, Science Girls on the Go™, is reaching parents looking for at home STEM activities during the pandemic. Click here for more information.
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Click here if you would like to donate to the Branch’s Opportunities Fund. This fund annually provides Higher Education Incentive Awards to girls from local high schools who are continuing their education at the College of DuPage. From time to time, the Opportunities Fund also supports other Branch-sponsored gender equity initiatives and national AAUW projects.
What is AAUW?
AAUW’s Mission:
To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the nation’s leading voice promoting equity and education for women and girls. Since our founding in 1881, AAUW members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. Click here for more information on AAUW’s Mission, Vision and Values. Join us!
As AAUW continues to move forward in a changing world, so have our Strategic Plan and our Vision Statement. Click here to read the complete plan.