| An update for League friends and subscribers. | | | | Mark Your Calendar for March Member Gathering | | Our League will have a member gathering on Tuesday, March 7, 6:30-8:00 pm at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Bloomington. This is a good chance to get to know other members and get caught up with League activities. There will be refreshments and lots of good conversation. Nonmembers who are interested in the League and would like to know more about what we're doing, please come!
Click here to register. If you have questions, contact Kaye Hill, membership@lwv-bmc.org. Our plan is to host these gatherings once a quarter. See you there! - Kaye Hill and Annamaria Mecca | | February Is Black History Month | | View of the huge crowd from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, during the March on Washington, August 28, 1963; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, #04417. | Black History Month had its beginnings in 1925. Historian Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded, what is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), conceived of setting aside a week every year to raise awareness of African American history and contributions. At first, the recognition was set for the second week in February to coincide with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14. In 1976, the recognition expanded to a month, and Black History Month is now not only celebrated in the U.S., but has also been established in Canada, Ireland, and the U.K.
In Bloomington, the theme for the 2023 Black History Month celebration is “Black Innovation.” The kick-off event featuring a talk by Ellise Smith took place on January 30. Even earlier than that, the local Martin Luther King Jr. Commission sponsored an MLK Day program with the theme of “Keep Knocking,” featuring keynote speaker Representative Park Cannon. A recording of the event can be accessed here. Other local events are listed below. Get involved!
It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize,
accept, and celebrate those differences. - Audre Lorde | LWV-BMC Public Events
Other Public Events
| | State Legislators Respond to Voters’ Questions |  | Senator Shelli Yoder and Representative Matt Pierce participated in the Legislative Update on Saturday, January 21. Sen. Yoder’s introductory remarks focused on public health, behavioral health, expansion of K-12 education vouchers, and the environmental solutions task force she has proposed. Rep. Pierce assessed the prospects for funding for education and public health. Both expressed concern for Senate Joint Resolution 1, which would allow judges to deny bail to people who “pose substantial risk to the public.”
Fourteen people posed questions to the legislators, concerning topics such as public health funding (SB40), proposal to further cap property taxes (HB1498), how to build support for greenhouse inventory (HB1193) and climate solutions task force (SB335), lack of participation in updates by Republican legislators (3 questions), state funding for mental health facilities, allowing judges to deny bail (SJR1), eliminating medical noncompete clauses (SB7), and annexation approval requirements (SB219). Other concerns included solar energy credits with utilities, money to follow transfer students to charter schools (SB398, HB1607), options for farm bill interests collaborating on environmental bills, and changing requirements for high school graduation. You can access a recording of the update here.
Legislative Updates are co-sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County and Brown County and the Chambers of Commerce of Bloomington and Brown County. The next update will be Saturday, February 11. You can register at https://lwv-bmc.org/legis-update. | | February Podcast Features Women in the Legislature | | Dr. Laura Merrifield Wilson joined us for our January podcast. Dr. Wilson is the co-director of the Gender Center and Associate Professor of History and Political Science for the University of Indianapolis. She was also recently named one of the Indianapolis Business Journal's Forty Under Forty. In this podcast, Dr. Wilson talks about the increasing number of women in the legislature in Indiana and nationally. She shares that political ladders and hierarchies are now changing. | | | | Once, a candidate's experience in government was an essential attribute for winning an election. Today, it is no longer a driving force. As a result, we see more younger candidates, particularly women, running for office. In addition, whereas politicians were once expected to climb the ladder through local, state, and national politics, which closed opportunities for many women, that expectation has changed. Currently, the U.S. Congress is made up of approximately 28% women, even though the U.S. population is about 51% women. Click here to access the podcast. - Becky Hill | |