An update for LWV-BMC members
and other Leagues
| | | Primary Election Day is May 7! Are you ready?
Click here for a quick look on voting options. | Celebrating Women's History Month | | Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a prominent journalist, activist, and researcher who battled sexism, racism, and violence. She fought for African-American rights throughout the American South. | | | Many believe that agitation for women's rights in the U.S. began with the women's suffrage movement. And, indeed, that was a major factor. But as early as 1776 there was evidence that women were not going to stay quietly in their place. In 1776, Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, wrote in a letter to her husband:
"...I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. ...If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation."
In 1981, Congress passed a resolution that authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Beginning in 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women's History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. See the LWV-BMC History webpage for the history of our local League and resources on the fight for suffrage.
International Women's Day (March 8) was initiated in 1911 as a global day “celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.” This special day calls for collective action toward gender parity. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group, or organization specific. Interestingly, according to longtime LWV member Sally Hegeman, the League chose not to join this effort in 1911 because of its socialist origins, although it participates now.
Gloria Steinem, celebrated feminist, journalist, and activist once said, "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." The International Women's Day theme for 2024 is "Inspire Inclusion." See what you can do to truly make a positive difference for women.
| | First 2024 League Gathering Planned for March 19 | | Plan on coming to the first 2024 League gathering on Tuesday, March 19. The event will take place at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 3800 E. Third St., Bloomington, from 6:00-7:30 pm. Our guest speaker will be from the Bloomington Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. This sorority awards scholarships to promising students with financial need who attend either Ivy Tech Community College or Indiana University Bloomington. LWV-BMC has contributed to the scholarship fund in honor of Mamie A. Jennings Merrifield, a founding member of the Bloomington chapter. | | | This is an opportunity for both members and friends to socialize and learn about volunteer activities and other events. Not a member? No problem! Anyone interested in the League is welcome. Refreshments will be served. We look forward to seeing you in March. Questions? Contact membership@lwv-bmc.org. No need to register for this event...just be there! - Annamaria Mecca
**Note: There is road work ongoing at the intersection of Smith and Third St, which is the location of St. Thomas. There is a possibility that the intersection may be closed on the night of the gathering and you may need to take that into consideration. If we have an update before the meeting or decide to change the location, check our home page for an announcement (https://lwv-bmc.org). | | Women's History Month Luncheon Set for March 28 | The Women's History Month Luncheon is an opportunity to recognize individual and collective accomplishments of women in the community. This year, the event will be held at the Monroe County Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave., Bloomington, on Thursday, March 28. The event includes exhibitors from local women-owned businesses and organizations as well as a presentation that embodies the national theme of Women's History Month 2024, "Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." Also recognized will be the winners of the 2024 Women's Achievement Awards. Doors will open at 11:15 am to view exhibits; lunch will be from 12:00-1:30 pm. Tickets are on sale until 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 20. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door of the event. | | | ***If you are a League member and would like to sit at the League table, contact Annarmaria Mecca (team@lwv-bmc.org). The League will also have an exhibit at the luncheon. - Annamaria Mecca | | Final Legislative Update Set for March 2 - Register Now! | | The final legislative update for the 2024 session of the Indiana legislature will be Saturday, March 2, from 9:30 to 11 am. This is a Zoom virtual session. All state legislators representing Monroe, Brown, and Johnson counties have been invited to report on their work and priorities for the 2024 Indiana General Assembly and take questions from attendees. These include: Sen. Aaron Freeman, Sen. Cyndi Carrasco, Sen. Rodric Bray, Sen. Greg Walker, Rep. Robb Greene, Rep. Craig Haggard, Rep. Michelle Davis, Sen. Eric Koch, Sen. Shelli Yoder, Rep. Dave Hall, Rep. Bob Heaton, Rep. Peggy Mayfield, and Rep. Matt Pierce. Click here to go to the Legislative Updates page where you can register to attend the March 2 session and/or view the previous sessions. Click here to find your legislators and learn more about contacting them. - Monica Clemons and Ralf Shaw | | | | Final Voter Registration Training Scheduled for March 3 - Register Now! | | Want to play a part in your democracy? The League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County is hosting voter registration training on Sunday, March 3, from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington. Monica Clemons, co-chair of the LWV-BMC Voter Service Committee, will lead this session. Learn how to use online tools to register your friends, family, and neighbors...and who knows who else? Let's help get out the vote! Click here to sign up for this session. Last chance to register! Questions? Email voterservice@lwv-bmc.org. - Ralf Shaw and Monica Clemons | | | | First Candidate Forum Planned for March 23 | | Candidate forums for the primary election are being planned and are tentatively scheduled for March 23 (Democratic candidates for county council and commission) and April 15 (Republican candidates for county commission). Click here to go to the candidate forums page and check on progress. - Ralf Shaw and Monica Clemons | | February Podcast Features Wonderlab | | For the Ferbuary podcast, the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County welcomes Karen Jepson-Innes (photo at left), WonderLab executive director, and Kelly Debikey (photo at right), WonderLab education director, to share with our audience the many exciting opportunities that the WonderLab Museum of Science Health and Technology offers. WonderLab was formed in 1995 by a small group of Bloomington citizens interested in the importance of science education within a community. The goal of WonderLab is to teach and make science education fun while also creating a permanent museum that celebrates the importance of science exploration and discovery. | | | | Kelly and Karen shared the many exciting programs and exhibits that the WonderLab offers, such as Grape Vine, Animal Ambassadors, Science Sprout Program, and Honeybee Colony, saying that children are natural scientists and love to discover how our world works through science. Check out the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health & Technology, Bloomington. - Becky Hill and Jim Allison | | February Legislative Update Summary – The End of the Session Approaches | | Out of thirteen Indiana legislators invited, only Representative Matt Pierce and Senator Shelli Yoder participated in the Legislative Update on Saturday, February 17. Some forty constituents attended. The legislative session has passed the half-way point; Sen. Yoder predicts that it might end by February 28, but more likely March 8. As Ranking Member of the Environment Committee, she hopes to spur action with Tuesday’s open hearings to recommend topics for the committee to study. | | | She expressed concerns about HB 1399 redefining PFAS (forever chemicals), HB 1363 on wetland protection, HB 1108 allowing building on steeper slopes, and HB 1426's removal of IUDs from the contraceptives offered to Medicare patients after childbirth.
Rep. Pierce predicted that the session would conclude March 7 or 8. He discussed SB 202, which would review faculty for attempts to indoctrinate students. The bill would also allow legislative leaders to appoint two trustees for each state-supported college and university, replacing the trustees elected by alumni. He plans to offer an amendment to SB 135 to study nonpartisan efforts for redistricting. He called attention to SB 150, which considers how AI and cybersecurity can improve governmental operations.
The legislators responded to 13 questions:
- Union of Concerned Scientists’ warning about threats to tenure and DEI education in SB 202
- HB 1108 and HB 1363 reducing environmental protections, claiming to increase affordable housing
- HB 1426 reasons for removing IUDs from coverage
- Why are Indiana waterways so polluted?
- What is being done to develop a state-level water plan, with Boone County’s attempts to take water from Tippecanoe County?
- Are there any proposals to restrict tubal ligation? (No)
- What was the rationale for changing the make-up of university boards-of-trustees?
- Where do things stand with the bill to restrict the governor’s emergency powers?
- HB 1264 introduces barriers to voting by introducing credit reports to verify voters’ addresses.
- Are vasectomy and tubal ligation legal in Indiana? (Yes)
- How to approach Attorney General Rokita's "Eyes on Education" portal
- Indiana voters tend to be middle-of-the-road-conservative; why is the legislature leading us to the right?
- Do Republican legislators avoid these legislative updates because they fear being primaried? (i.e., challenged that they are not sufficiently partisan)
Rep. Pierce and Sen. Yoder concluded with Jon Stewart’s observation, "Democracy is hard work, day in, day out." Rep. Pierce encouraged constituents to engage friends, family, and neighbors to find out who is representing them and hold them accountable. Sen. Yoder encouraged attendees to help persuade more legislators to participate in these updates, to encourage more conversations. Find up-to-date information on these and other bills at https://iga.in.gov
The next Legislative Update will be Saturday, March 2. Updates are co-sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, Brown County, and Johnson County and the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. You can register for the March 2 update and see the CATS recordings of the January and February updates at https://lwv-bmc.org/legis-update. – Ralf Shaw | | New Radon GIS Map Available for Monroe County | | Radon is a major cause of lung cancer and it arises from decomposition of uranium and radioactive minerals in the soil. There are some “hot spots” (more than four picocuries) in the basements and lower floors of some houses in Monroe County because of their location on bedrock. An interactive map is now available that displays all of the radon tests conducted by the Monroe County Health Department. Testing kits are available through the Monroe County Health Department. Remediation is possible through a blower system that changes the basement/crawl space air or through passive ventilation changes. - George Hegeman | | | | Limestone Post Publishes Articles from Indiana Environmental Author | Have you read the latest story "The Work of Beth Edwards, Award-Winning Environmental Reporter" by Beth Edwards?
Beth Edwards was an award-winning environmental reporter who, along with Enrique Saenz, developed the Indiana Environmental Reporter at Indiana University into a source for environmental news that was respected statewide and nationally. Limestone Post looks at four of her reporting projects: on coal ash, confined animal feeding operations, Martinsville’s drinking water, and a controversial coal-to-diesel plant. Click here to read about her work. - Becky Hill | | Member News is only included in "The League Letter," which is sent to local League members and selected members of other local Leagues. The public newsletter, called "The Voter," does not include this section. | | Get Your Early Voting Yard Signs Now! | We have early voting yard signs available for members! Do your part to galvanize your neighborhood to vote and try voting early. Click here to contact Nancy Goswami and get your sign.
Voting early is ideal for anyone who would like to vote in person but can’t make it to the polls on Election Day. Click here for local information.
If you cannot vote in person at all, you can vote by mail. To vote this way, complete an application with your information and reason you can’t make it to the polls. Make sure to do this early so you have plenty of time to receive your ballot, complete it, and mail it back to be counted in time for the election. Click here for the application. - Nancy Goswami | | | | League Day at the Statehouse: Enjoy the Ambience | | Each legislative session the Indiana League of Women Voters coordinates a day when local Leagues are encouraged to speak with their representatives at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. I had a brief meeting with Rep. Matt Pierce, where I thanked him for participating in our Legislative Updates. We talked briefly about how to figure out which bills, of the hundreds that are introduced, are likely to move forward. He said that lower-numbered bills typically represent leadership priorities; in other cases, the sponsor’s prior success in passing a bill can be a clue.
Photo: Paulette Vandegriff (left) planned League Day. She is the second vice-president of LWVIN and chair of the Special Events Committee. With her is LWVIN president Linda Hanson. | | | | At the time I was scheduled to meet with Sen. Shelli Yoder, she was engaged in suddenly-called hearings on HB 1383, about reclassification of wetlands. It was impressive to see her knowledge about environmental issues brought to bear in her questioning, even though the committee ultimately passed the bill with only two dissents. We walked out of the hearing room together and I thanked her for participating in our Legislative Updates. We also talked about how difficult it is to sway legislators in the supermajority. - Ralf Shaw | | Cornelia Weiss on LWV-BMC and History | | Cornelia Weiss, Independent Legal Military Scholar, will be our guest on March 19. She is retracing the visit by a group of influential German women brought to the U.S. in 1949 to “freely see all of American life.” Their longest stop was in Bloomington, Indiana where, among other activities, they attended the annual meeting of the LWV of Bloomington. Cornelia will be glad to talk with today’s League supporters. Ann Birch and Ralf Shaw will host Cornelia for lunch on Thursday, March 21, 11:30 am, at DeAngelo’s. Email Ralf if you would like to join us. - Ralf Shaw | | Having Trouble Logging In? | | If you're not a person who is constantly online, you may find logging in to the website (or any other) a bit of a bother. So... if you've forgotten your username and password, go to the website at https://lwv-bmc.org and click the "Member Login" button at the upper right. Then click the "Forgot My Username/Password" button. Fill in the information requested and you will be sent a username and password. Then enter your username and password in the Login box and check the box for Remember me on this computer. Then click Login. After this, when you want to log in, just go to the website, click on Member Login and you will be automatically logged in. Still having problems? Just email me at info@lwv-bmc.org. - Ann Birch | | National League Convention Coming Up in June | | The 2024 National League of Women Voters Convention will take place June 27-30 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC and online. In-person and virtual delegates will have the opportunity to participate in our convention plenary and vote on our 2024-2026 program, 2024-2026 budget, 2024-2026 LWVUS board of directors and nominating committee, and submitted bylaws amendments. Other convention activities include a pre-convention lobby day on Thursday, a reception and dinner on Saturday night showcasing local DC culture and a variety of breakout sessions. Although LWV-BMC plans for the convention have not yet developed, if you are interested in attending the convention either as a delegate or an observer, contact Annamaria Mecca (team@lwv-bmc.org). - Annamaria Mecca | | Want to Get News from LWVUS? | | The national League sends out biweekly emails with updates on national news and activities. This email is very worthwhile, especially for members in leadership positions. If you’d like to try it out, click here. Once you get your first email, you can go to the bottom and click "Manage Your Preferences." You’ll see a list of other updates you can select or you can unsubscribe if you wish. - Ann Birch | | Volunteers Needed: Please Check This Out! | Our League is solely operated by volunteers...and we never have enough! Here are two areas that need help. Please contact the person indicated if you are interested or need more information.
Meeting Coordinator (Membership Committee; contact: Nancy Riggert)
- Plan the social aspects of League gatherings (usually three each year) and the annual meeting (once each year) and take care of working with the Communications Committee to get the word out. The Leadership Team will take care of getting speakers, arranging the business part of the meetings, and moderating. We have a person in place who can help the coordinator.
- Maintain an inventory of materials used in gatherings: t-shirts, bookmarks, presentation hardcopies
- Meet new members when needed (usually two committee members are present)
- Take orders for t-shirts
- This involves two sessions, March 23 and April 9
- Work with the LWVUS database system to set up details on races, candidates (from candidate filings with County Clerk’s office), and questions (see above).
- Send email (from within the VOTE411 system) inviting candidates to respond to questions.
- “Publish” (make available to the public) races as voters are starting to pay attention to the election.
- Respond to questions from candidates.
Time commitment: Can be a half-day or more per week as information starts to arrive.
| | Observer Report: Plan Commission | | The county is looking for interested citizens to serve on the Plan Review Committee. The committee is suffering from the same problem the League and other civic organizations do—citizen participation. One of the Plan Commission members suggested that they might disband the committee because the citizen slots had been vacant for so long. Click here to see a description of the committee and download an application. - Jennifer Miers | | Attention, Committees! Trifold Available for Use | A multiuse trifold display board is now available to the LWV-BMC, thanks to Patty Callison and Team First Books-Monroe County, a local organization that funded books for low-income children in Monroe County. When the group became inactive, they asked Patty to pass the display board on to the League, feeling we would be able to make good use of it.
One side of the like-new piece is white board, and the other side is covered with felt. It is now housed at my house, along with other League materials. Let me know if you would like to pick it up to use for a League purpose. My contact information can be found in the membership directory. You will need to log in to the website.
The League would like to express its appreciation to Team First Books and to Patty for the very helpful donation! - Nancy Boerner | | Positions Page and Newsletter Archive Now Available on Website | | We've added a public page on LWV-BMC positions so that anyone can see the basis for our stance on local issues. Links are provided to state and national League positions on state and national issues. Thanks to Craig Stewart and his study group for the suggested page, links, and layout. We've also added a newsletter archive to the website, covering newsletters issued from 2021 on. This is a members-only page so you will need to log in to view it. If you'd like to see a newsletter before 2021, please contact me at info@lwv-bmc.org. Thanks to Ralf Shaw for suggesting this addition. - Ann Birch | | Portrait of a Life Member: Nancy Brinegar | | Nancy Brinegar, member of LWV-BMC for over 50 years, was born and raised in Bloomington, graduating from Bloomington High School. Later, after her children were born and in school, Nancy earned her B.S. degree from Indiana University in public affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is the mother of three sons: Curtis (deceased), Brian (Chip) lives in New Hampshire, and Jamie and wife Jennifer live in Columbus, Indiana. Nancy has two grandsons: Kevin and his wife Taylor live in Arlington, Virginia, and Michael, who was on the IU distance swim team. He is now a professional swimmer currently training in California in preparation for the Olympic trials, which will be held in Indianapolis in June. She hopes to attend the trials. | | | | Nancy became active locally due to her concern and hope for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). From that effort, she was encouraged by a friend in the early 1970s to attend a League of Women Voters meeting at the public library. "Those presentations were excellent, and their quality convinced me of the worth of League, and so I joined," she recalled. She remembers helping with the newsletters where she was responsible for folding, stapling, stamping, and delivering them to the post office for mailing. For several years, she also represented the League at the polls on election days, waiting for the votes to be counted so she could call in the results to local, state, and national news agencies. One year she represented the local League by attending the LWV National Convention in San Diego. Nancy also served a term as vice-president of the local League. | | Nancy said her most recent active League involvement was working with LWV-BMC President Kate Cruikshank and a hard-working League committee to locally address Indiana's gerrymandering issue to support redistricting reform. "We organized Bloomington's 'Gerrymander Meander,' a 1.8-mile walk that followed the gerrymandered intersection of State House Districts 60, 61, and 62. Those Congressional districts had been tweaked to benefit one political party. We invited Julia Vaughn, who was a leader in Indiana's gerrymandering issue, to join us and address the walkers. However, we didn't succeed in getting redistricting reform, and it was a major disappointment to me." | | | On giving advice to those looking for an organization in which to serve, she said, "Go to the public meetings that the League sponsors. I think you wlll be impressed with the members themselves. I learned so very much from such a large variety of their members."
Nancy worked at Indiana University for 17 years, nine years for the City of Bloomington as a redevelopment specialist and housing counselor, and was an elected township trustee for nine years, during which time she proudly kept her LWV membership. Through her aunt's encouragement, Nancy began her volunteer work while in high school by helping the Salvation Army prepare their holiday food baskets. She is a 50+ year member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served one term as board moderator. She has traveled the U.S. extensively, as well as visiting Canada, Mexico, and beyond. Currently, she is active in her neighborhood's homeowners association and is the social committee chair. She usually meets monthly for lunch with friends and monthly for dinner with family, and she attends the IU women's basketball games with a younger brother. But her most regular outings are walks three times daily with Lucky, her mini-Schnauzer. (I can vouch that Lucky is a very good watchdog, as well as being very friendly with a mile-a-minute tail wagging with visitors.)
Nancy is very proud of her sons and mentioned them first, but then added two things accomplished while she was a Bloomington Township trustee. "We bought the property on West 11th Street so the Community Kitchen could expand into that area of town, thus Community Kitchen Express opened at that site. Later we built a new fire station on old Highway 37. I had a wonderful board with which to work." She went on, "I've had a great life and a part of that has been serving my community and seeing firsthand that I have made some positive differences in the lives of some people." - Pat Day-Miller | Newsletter Staff
Editor: Ann Birch
Writer: Pat Day-Miller
Proofreader: Kristina Lindborg
Images provided by: Becky Hill, David Miller, LWVUS, LWVIN, IGA.gov
Other contributions from leadership, committees, and units | |