AAUW Maryland is a membership community changing the climate for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. AAUW Maryland has 12 branches throughout the state and a Maryland online community.
Lunafest: Virtual Film Festival
Films By and About Women, for ages 13+
Sunday, May 21 | 3 PM – 5 PM
Register
In 2001, LUNA® (maker of Luna and Clif bars) launched LUNAFEST® as the very first traveling film festival featuring films by and about women. Starting with one small California premiere, LUNAFEST has elevated the work of more than 175 filmmakers at 2,900 screenings, raising more than $7 million for nonprofits across the United States and Canada. Today, LUNAFEST continues to amplify the diverse, inspiring work of women and gender-nonconforming filmmakers.
The Baltimore Branch of AAUW will host a virtual screening of seven films on Sunday, May 21, 3 PM – 5 PM. Films will be available for an additional 48 hours to those who register.
The trailer can be found on YouTube, and more information about the filmmakers can be found here. Tickets are free, but registration is required. Register here!
ERA Centennial Convention and Caravan
July 20, 2023: Caravan leaving from Hagerstown, MD
July 21-23, 2023: ERA Centennial Convention, Seneca Falls, NY
Did you know that this July is the 100th anniversary of Alice Paul’s introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment? GenerationRatify, a group of young women (most under the age of 19), is hosting a convention in Seneca Falls, NY, to mark the occasion and to amplify the need to get the ERA certified and part of our US Constitution. The event’s focus is cultivating a new generation of ERA activists and setting goals for constitutional equality for the next year, including an action plan for finalizing the federal ERA and getting state ERAs passed in all remaining 23 states.
AAUW Maryland has decided to join forces with VoteEquality and Maryland NOW to support these young women as they work to bring about change so that everyone in this country will be treated equally under the law. We will travel via caravan from Hagerstown, MD, to Seneca Falls, NY! We’ll depart from Hagerstown on Thursday morning, July 20th, and travel with the VoteEquality RVG (it’s a HUGE motor home, dubbed the Ruthless Vote Getter) to NY, making a few quick stops along the way to spread the word about the ERA.
An AAUW-MD delegation, organized by President Tracy Lantz, will be attending the ERA Centennial Convention on July 21st-23rd. We are booking a rental home nearby, so we’ll have reasonably priced accommodations. It’s a three-day event, with Sunday as a day to soak up some of the area’s history. The Convention will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls, where the National Woman’s Party first unveiled the ERA, at the same podium Alice Paul gave her speech that day, 100 years ago.
To register and learn more, click here. Your registration fee subsidizes the attendance of a young woman age 25 or under!
Please contact Tracy at tklantz@verizon.net by May 21st if you are interested in participating.
The Spring 2023 Marylander is here!
Included in this issue:
- Learn how the Artists4ERA fundraising event was a great success!
- 2023 Convention details and logistics
- Nominating Committee recommendations
- April 14 pre-Convention dinner and tribute to Eileen Menton
- Mini-grant applications are currently open – deadline May 15!
- Baltimore Branch’s plans for an October 2023 LUNAFEST film festival
Artists4ERA event was a success!
The week-long Artists4ERA exhibit and March 4 reception at the Baltimore County Arts Guild Clubhouse in Catonsville, MD, highlighted the continuing need to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Working with VoteEquality.us, a national organization whose mission is to advocate for the ERA to be certified by the National Archivist, AAUW MD, and three local branches, along with other community organizations, hosted the event.
On March 4, speakers reviewed the history of, and next steps for, moving the ERA forward. The program also included two panel discussions on gender equality. The first featured female students of high school and college age and one recent college graduate. These panelists spoke about challenges they faced due to their gender, as well as their achievements leading and serving in socially active groups. The second panel consisted of three professional women who shared how they overcame career experiences dealing with sexual harassment, unequal pay, and discrimination.
The reception included a silent auction of 14 posters created by various artists as well as a raffle for the chance to win an original art piece by San Francisco artist Chuck Sperry. Despite the wet and rainy evening, over 130 people attended. The silent auction raised $1,800, and the raffle generated over $800, with total donations to Vote Equality of over $3,300!
Support the 2023 AAUW Maryland Women of Distinction (NCCWSL) Fund
Please donate to the AAUW Maryland Women of Distinction Fund. You will help our state become a Platinum Sponsor of the 2023 Women of Distinction Ceremony, the pinnacle event of AAUW’s annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.
AAUW Maryland will honor Senator Susan Lee, Maryland’s new Secretary of State, as our Maryland Woman of Distinction, who will be recognized and featured at NCCWSL 2023. She will be honored at AAUW’s 2023 National Conference of Collegiate Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) event in late May 2023.
Let’s honor Senator Lee for her support of all women in Maryland. Donate now!
2023 Legislative Agenda
Our 2023 Legislative Agenda is now available. Click here to learn about the bills we support this Legislative Session.
Branch Mini-Grant Program now accepting applications!
On January 28, 2023, the Board of Directors of AAUW Maryland voted to allocate $500 for the state Mini-Grant Program for the 2023-2024 program year, which begins July 1, 2023. This will be the second year of the Mini-Grant Program.
The 2023-2024 Mini-Grant application period is now open, and applications are being accepted through May 15, 2023. Learn more.
Free salary negotiation training: Work Smart Online
Work Smart Online is a free salary negotiation course to help women better their financial future. This easy, engaging e-tool will teach you to:
• Learn the market value of your skills and experience
• Determine an equitable “target salary”
• Ask for—and get—the pay you deserve
Here’s the best part: The program works! In surveys with our participants, nearly all reported having more confidence and improved negotiating skills after taking the class. After attending a Work Smart program, nearly half of the participants were able to negotiate for a raise, promotion, or higher-paying job.