Address to the Members
Coretta Scott King
once said:
“Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I
believe that you must become its soul.”
What motivates us to be
members of AAUW?
We are all from different
backgrounds and experiences. If each of us were to stand up and tell our story,
we would be amazed at the diversity of family history, education, work
experience, accomplishments, spirituality, failures, heartaches - all of which
make up who we are.
Why are we here/Why do we
come to AAUW meetings?
We are not here because:
·
We graduated from
the same high school or college
·
We work at the
same company, school, government office
·
Belong to the
same professional organization
·
Live in the same
town or region
·
We are all
redheads!
What brings us together -
this group of diverse educated women and men?
Here
are some reasons:
·
We care about
education for women and girls
·
We care about
financial and job security for women and our families
·
We care about
equity in everything we do
·
We want to make a
difference in the lives of people around us
·
In short, We
believe in the mission of AAUW
We don’t always take time to
think about what motivates us.
·
What makes us
drive 20, 50 or 80 miles to a program in
·
What makes us
volunteer to serve as officers in our branches?
·
What makes us do
fundraising to improve educational opportunities for women and girls?
We are all busy people. Most
days we put one foot in front of the other to get through all the tasks of the
day, knowing there is more to do tomorrow.
We don’t always take time to
reflect on what motivates us. On what makes us take time out of our busy
schedules to actively participate in AAUW events.
So, today, while I am
speaking, I want you to take time to reflect, to find that piece of you that
brought you here this weekend (and don’t stop at: “Well, I am on the Board, so
I have to be here”)
Look deeper. Go to that core
and when you get to the part of you, please:
·
Acknowledge it
·
Be proud of it
·
Nurture it
You
will be amazed at how thoroughly that part of you is integrated in everything
you do. No one in AAUW is simply a weekend member or a once-a-month member. We
are AAUW always, we view the world through AAUW eyes, we vote for candidates
that reflect our AAUW values, we raise our children and care for our families
and community guided by principles that AAUW instilled in us.
I
venture to say that even if, heaven forbid, AAUW no longer exists as an
organization, we will still be AAUW in our hearts and minds.
Because AAUW did not choose us, we chose
AAUW.
Why is AAUW important to us?
Sometimes we have to remind
ourselves of where we’ve been, in order to move forward.
Since AAUW’s founding more
than 125 years ago, women have made great strides toward achieving equality of
opportunity. The women at that time had very little going for them. A small
percentage of women attended school, fewer completed high school and a fraction
of that group was able to attend college. As we now know, the first meeting of
what was to become AAUW was held in Boston in 1881, when some of these college
educated women came together to declare that “college training is a necessity
and not a luxury for the average woman as well as for the average man” (AAUW
Historic Principles 2005)
During the Suffrage Movement,
women showed extraordinary strength in standing up for equality and the right
to vote. They were extremely unpopular, not just in the political sense, but at
home with their families and in their communities. They withstood scorn, public
humiliation, isolation and harm, in order to change the way society thought
about and treated women.
Through the persistence and endurance
of those women, and their refusal to be stopped, during those dark times, and
of countless other women who followed in those footsteps since then, women have
brought about change for all in society, in fundamental ways. AAUW played no small part in actively
moving that agenda forward. AAUW is now considered as one of the most
important voices speaking on behalf of women and girls.
We should be proud of the
achievements of our gender over the years.
Despite the gains we’ve made
in civil rights, economic security and education, we still have unfinished
business in 2008.
We need to remain steadfast
in the commitment to create a level playing field for women and girls. This is
why we are members of AAUW, and why AAUW is important to us.
At this time, we are in the
midst of a time of change for AAUW. Change is hard. Most people would prefer to
do things the way they always do them, to do what we’re comfortable with.
Change implies getting out of our comfort zone in order to be successful, to
thrive, to be relevant. Change takes practice.
If we care about AAUW, we
will do whatever it takes to see that the organization not only survives, but
grows.
AAUW Guiding Principle: By joining
AAUW, you belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic
barriers so all women have a fair chance.
AAUW Mission:
Advancing equity for women and girls
through advocacy, education, and research.
We have work to do!!
With your support, commitment
and energy, we will work together to:
·
Increase
membership and diversity of members
·
Retain and
nurture current members
·
Implement an action
plan for voter registration and voter education
·
Implement an action
plan for fundraising to benefit EF and LAF
·
Plan mission
based programs at state level
·
Promote mission
based programs at the branch level
·
Encourage
collaborative branch programs.
I plan to visit each branch
to listen to our members on issues important for them and to have regular
communication with branch presidents and branch representatives.
It will be an honor to serve
you, AAUW-MA and AAUW, in the role as state president.
“Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I
believe that you must become its soul.” Coretta Scott King.
Beryl Domingo, President
April 6, 2008
AAUW-MA Annual Meeting