• President's Message
• Welcome to the new Administrative Assistant
• Annual Meeting Announcement
• International Women's Day Event
• In Memory of Janet Fitch
• Fair Maps Update
• Reproductive Rights Update
  
• Vote 411
  
• Money Matters
  
• League Member Profile, Mary Delgado
• Lunch and Learn Update
  
• Announcements & Events
• Accessing the Member Portal of the Website
• Diversity Equity and Inclusion Spring Event

President's Message

From President Nancy Maloney:

It is with great delight that I introduce our new Administrative Support Coordinator, Maddie Mason. Maddie comes to us with a lot of technological know-how. She has been hard at work learning Club Express and is deftly navigating our Google Workspace. In addition to that expertise, Maddie is a talented designer. She has done inventory in the office and has plans to make the conference room (outer office) more usable and fun. Her enthusiasm for her job is infectious. Welcome aboard, Maddie. We are happy to have you!

I am excited and honored to be a new addition to the League of WomenVotersof Milwaukee County. I have felt so welcomed and inspired by the volunteers here, and I’m looking forward to serving our community alongside this awesome team!

I’ve been living in Milwaukee for over four years with my five-year-old cat named Winnie. In my free time I love going to record stores, visiting local Milwaukee coffee shops and snapping photos of our beautiful city on one of my many film cameras!

Annual Meeting and Banquet

Thursday, May 23 at 5 p.m.

This year the event will be held at Alioto’s, 3401 N Mayfair Rd in Wauwatosa and will feature a Silent Auction coordinated by our Board Member Liz Harris-Hodge.

We will start the evening with a special showing of the 33-minutefilm, “Dangerous Women: Women of the West.” It is a documentary about when, in 1869, Wyoming became the only territory in the world to recognize women’s right to vote and to hold elected office–a full 50 years prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This film was created and directed by LWVMC member Janet Fitch, who died in December 2023. It will be introduced by member Merry Weisner-Hanks, UWM Distinguished Professor of History and Women's and Gender Studies Emerita. Merry was the Historical Consultant for the film.

The cost will be $35 per person and guests are welcome. It is already open for registration on our website calendar. An invitation with more information will be coming to your email soon! In the meantime, questions about this can be directed to Mary Ellen Spicuzza atme.spicuzza@lwvmilwaukee.orgor 414-975-7012 and please contact Liz Harris-Hodge ate.harris-hodge@lwvmilwaukee.orgto contribute to the Silent Auction!

International Women's Day Celebration on March 8, 2024

More than 350 women (and a few men), from teens to retirees, gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8, at an event co-sponsored by a collaboration of 10 leading Milwaukee women’s groups, including LWVMC. The event, held at the Marcus Center, featured keynote speaker Emilie Aries, founder & CEO of Bossed Up, a leadership development and career services company committed to closing the gender leadership gap. She is also the author of the book "Bossed Up". Following Aries’ presentation were speakers Lyn Hildenbrand, president of AAUW-Milwaukee, who shared salary negotiation strategies; Joyce Tayor, an H.R. professional who addressed corporate pay transparency; and LWVMC communications chair Peggy Creer, who talked about the importance of civic engagement.

In Memory of Janet Fitch

The League lost an inspiring, dynamic member in December with the passing of Janet Fitch. Janet joined LWVMC in 2011 and served on the board and in other capacities. A documentary filmmaker, Janet’s films sought to foster civil discourse about polarizing topics. Two of her films were the focus of LWVMC public issues forums: “Guns, Grief and Grace in America,” which framed gun violence as a public health issue, and “Most Dangerous Women,” which highlighted the impact of women who speak truth to power. Her films aired on PBS and at community screenings across the U.S. and internationally.

Janet was recognized for her civic service and activism, including as winner of theShepherd Express’s Milwaukee Activist of the Year award.Read Janet’s obituaryhere.

Fellow LWVMC member and colleague Merry Wiesner-Hanks had this tribute:“To the very end of her life, Janet remained an activist committed to documenting and participating in women's struggles for peace, social justice, and equality. I was fortunate to be able to work with her for several years on the Most Dangerous Women series of documentary shorts, which present the stories of women changemakers—including members of the LWV—working to create a more just and equitable world. Every audience that saw this was inspired, and some were moved to tears.”

Many members responded to the announcement of Janet’s sudden passing with these remembrances:

“Janet was one of my favorite Leaguers, always kind and upbeat and ever a Dangerous Woman.” – Nancy Maloney

“She was a staunch and steadfast DEI supporter and helped me organize a DEI educational workshop back in 2018. I also worked closely with Janet on a well-attended and informative PIF on reframing Gun Violence as a public health concern… She had so many friends and associates in the community, and I know her films touched many people well beyond Milwaukee. She dared and cared in a sincere and profound way.”– Mary Sussman

“She was a remarkable woman, committed to making this world a better place for all.”– Eloisa Gomez

“Janet was so fun and enthusiastic, and her passion was contagious – an inspiring and delightfully dangerous woman!”– Peggy Creer

“She had so much energy and plans to keep contributing. She will be missed.”–Lorna Grade

“Janet was so vital and engaged. A pure joy to be around, and so very committed to so many worthwhile things.”– Elizabeth Lentini

“I knew Janet as far back as her Alverno College days. She was admired by her fellow students and faculty and staff. She was always a positive presence. A wonderful woman indeed.”– Mary Ellen Spicuzza

“She was a wonderful, amazing person!”– Barbara Rasmussen

At Last...Fair Maps!

On February 13, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed the maps Governor Evers sent to the Supreme Court for consideration inClarke v. WEC, and the governor signed them into law. The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, chaired by LWVWI Executive Director Debra Cronmiller, issued this statement (excerpted):

The Governor’s maps dismantle the 2011 partisan gerrymander, which guaranteed a dominant majority in the Legislature and thwarted the will of the people. For more than a decade, these maps have undermined Wisconsin’s progressive governing history, making elected officials unaccountable to their constituents in favor of big money donors and party agendas.

Afraid that the Wisconsin Supreme Court would make things worse for them, the Legislature sent the Governor’s maps back to him for signature. We understand the skepticism of some, but this flawed process has created an opportunity for real change.The Governor's maps are fair.They provide an opportunity forvotersto elect responsive representatives, and satisfy the requirements of the Wisconsin Constitution. The voices of Wisconsinvoterswill no longer be silenced by gerrymandering. They will be heard on the issues they care about. This will make our democracy stronger and more inclusive.

Next, the process for redistricting in this state must be addressed and fixed. For far too long, both parties in our state legislature have chosen political gamesmanship over what’s best for the people of Wisconsin. We must work to create a nonpartisan redistricting process that is inclusive and prioritizes people over elected officials.

“Today, Wisconsin is the true winner,” declared Debra Cronmiller. “For too long, the issues Wisconsinites care deeply about such as school funding, reproductive rights, clean air and water, economic security, and mental and physical health have been ignored by our elected officials while they have worked to ensure tax cuts for the wealthy, regulatory favors for big businesses, and cuts to services and programs needed by Wisconsin’s working families.”

Update on LWVMC’s Reproductive Rights Committee

LWVMC’s Reproductive Rights Committee was formed in the summer of 2023 to address concerns about access to reproductive health care in Wisconsin following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. The committee’s goals are to follow legislation and court actions in Wisconsin and around the country, to provide educational forums focused on abortion and reproductive health, and to collaborate with other organizations and demographics with like interests in the Milwaukee area and around the state of Wisconsin.

The committee’s mission statement is to “Offer programming on reproductive rights and healthcare that informs citizens who can more effectively advocate for equitable access and expansion of reproductive healthcare, inclusive of abortion and contraception, in Wisconsin.”

The committee presented a Public Issues Form (PIF) in November, 2023 entitled, “Fact or Fiction: Dispelling Abortion Care Myths,” that you can access by clickinghere. Another PIF is being planned on the consequences of abortion restrictions, as well as a workshop that offers training in how to have better conversations about reproductive rights.

Clickherefor a brief summary of Wisconsin legislation and court actions from before the Dobbs decision to now.

On February 22, 2024, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) filed a petition for original actionasking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to protect the right to access and provide abortion in Wisconsin. At the core of the petition is Article 1, Section 1 of the Declaration of Rights in the Wisconsin State Constitution, which reads:“All people are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” PPWI believes included in these inherent rights are bodily autonomy and integrity and the right to self-determination. The LWVMC Reproductive Rights Committee supports PPWI’s action. With an affirmative response to this petition, it will be possible to challenge the current abortion restrictions in Wisconsin.

If you are passionate about reproductive freedom, please contact Gail Sklodowska atg.sklodowska@lwvmilwaukee.orgto:

1. Join the Reproductive Rights Committee.

2. Get on a list for upcoming committee events.

3. Let the committee know what kinds of activities and communications you would like them to provide to you.

by Mary Voelker

In past articles we have talked about VOTE411, what it is, who sponsors it, and how it works.

Today let’s talk about what all needs to happen to put it together and make VOTE411 information available tovotersas a tool for creating avotingplan. The LWV US handles federal elections and LWV WI handles our state elections. LWVMC handles local races in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.

This spring, the VOTE411VoterGuide covered county-wide races in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties as well as local races in 59 municipalities and school districts in Milwaukee and Waukesha County.

For the Spring election, the work starts with recruiting community volunteers to gather information about races and candidates from local municipal clerks and school district clerks.

The responsibilities of the Community Volunteers are to:

• Contact the city, village, town, or school district clerk in November and confirm with him/her their willingness to help us and which offices are up for election the following Spring and then report this information to the VOTE411VoterGuide Team.

• Share with us any key issues in the municipality or school district that could help the VOTE411VoterGuide Team create questions important to the constituents.

• In early January, the day after the candidate filing deadline, get the candidate names and contact information from the clerk, and pass that information on to the VOTE411VoterGuide Team. The timing here is critical so the Vote411 team can quickly invite the candidates to participate in the online SpringVoterGuide by answering the questions we pose to the candidates and then publish their answers in VOTE411.org.

With the races and candidates known, the VOTE411VoterGuide Team prepares the VOTE411 system. The responsibilities of the VOTE411VoterGuide Team include:

• The Tech Team enters the races and candidates into the VOTE411 system. Contact information for each candidate is entered and carefully verified to eliminate errors during the invitation process. They also update each of the race descriptions and add new ones.

• The Questions Subcommittee of the VOTE411VoterGuide Team uses the information collected from the Community Volunteers and other research/sources to create the questions for each race. When completed, the questions are translated into Spanish and both the English and Spanish versions are entered into the system for each race.

• The correspondence group creates email and USPS letters for those candidates who don’t provide (nonwork) email addresses. Emails include invitations to candidates in primary races, candidates in races that are non-contested, receipt of responses, reminder emails, notice of publication and other correspondence as needed.

• When all components have been completed and verified, the tech team sends the email letters of invitation to participate, and the correspondence group sends any USPS letters that are needed.

• The candidates have deadlines for submitting answers to the questions for their race. When the system information is checked and verified after the deadline, the system goes live and the notice of publication is sent to the candidates.

The third and final phase of getting VOTE411 to the public is the campaign to encourage VOTE411 participation. We want to increase the number ofvoterswho use VOTE411 for candidate information and we want all candidates to answer the questions. The campaign to encourage VOTE411 is an evolving effort and includes:

• Promoting VOTE411 with articles in the LWVMC weekly Update, flyers at libraries and throughout the community.

• Inviting and encouraging LWVMC members to send emails to their friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues to remind them about the upcoming election and to ask them to visit theVoterGuide at VOTE411.org for candidate information. Members can thank the candidates who have answered our questions, and we especially want them to contact their candidates if they have not answered our questions. Here is thelinkto a sample email that can be used.

White Women Face Racism: First One by One, Then by the Dozens

By Mary Sussman

In January 2024, LWVMC member Mary Delgado received RID Racism MKE’s Spotlight Award forher commitment to fighting racism in the metropolitan area. Since 2019, Delgado has been facilitating a program designed to help white women understand, confront and set aside racism. “We need to set aside our white lens,” Delgado says, “so that we really can hear and listen to what non-white people are telling us about what life is like for them.”

Since 2019, Delgado has reached more than 50 women through herWhite Women Facing Racism: One White Woman at a Time, a nine-month program that meets bi-weekly from June through March. In nine months, the participants read, reflect, write and share on the subjects of raceclick here to see the reading list.

Delgado hopes that the program will help womenrealize that our DNA is 99.9% the same. “So it’s this tiny little bit of DNA that makes you look like you and me look like me. What I like to do in these nine months is talk to people about whiteness. And that it is a thing that has been constructed and created. So it has nothing to do really with my white skin or somebody else’s black or brown skin.”

Delgado is now forming the 24/25 class, which begins in June. If you are interested in participating, visit the White Women Facing Racism website to get more information andsign up.

Still going strong at 80, Mary has been a long-time supporter of the LWVMC. For a longer version of this article, including Delgado’s life path that led her to develop her White Women Facing Racism program, please click here to visit our website:

Lunch and Learn Now Meets Quarterly

By Pat McFarland

Accessing Member-Only Website Portal

TheLWVMC websitehas information and resources that are available only to LWVMC members. To access the membership directory or members-only resourcesand volunteer opportunities, log in byfollowing these instructions. Contact Mary Ellen Spicuzza atme.spicuzza@lwvmilwaukee.orgwith any questions.

Celebrate Spring

Sunday, April 21, 1:15 - 3:30 p.m.

Wauwatosa Public Library, Firefly Room 7635 W. North Avenue