Spring 2018 

Inside this issue:

Quarterly Volume 6 No. 2

A Letter from the President 2

Meet the 2018 AAUW NYC Fellows at the Harvard Club; Passing the Torch of Liber-ty; Saumya Tripathi

3

19th Annual AAUW Diversity Brunch 4

Start Smart Workshop; AAUW Start Smart Salary Negotiation—NYIT; Ask the President; ESVB March 27, 2018 Speaker

5

Whose Story Do We Tell?; Vernal Equinax; Leading to Reading

6

Great Decisions 2018 ; International Women’s Day Celebration!

7

Call to Action by Nancy Mion, ESVB Public Policy Co-VP; Thank You for Your Dona-tion to the AAUW Funds!

8

Public Policy: WeAreTheChangeAgents: The Exhilarating 19th Annual Deviserity Brunch;

8

Fairy Tales Wisdom by Joan Monk; Join us for 50/50 Day on April 26, 2018; Heart Felt Thanks to Friends; Jackie Robinson Foundation—2018 Mentoring & Leader-ship Conference

9

2018 CTAUN Conference; 2018 AAUW-NYS Convention; 2018 NCCWSL Confer-ence; 2018 AAUW Leadership Confer-ence

10

Explore Your Opportunities: The Sky is the Limit!TM

10

Calendar; AAUW Student Organizations; 11

Officers & Directors-at-Large of Empire State Virtual Branch

12

AAUW– Empire State Virtual Branch

973 216 4181 http://empire-ny.aauw.net

“Leadership is the capacity to

translate vision into reality.”

Founded 2012

Happy Memorial Day!

The Empire State Virtual NY Branch in collaboration with AAUW NYS and AAUW National, hosted a very successful Dinner Recognition for our AAUW NYC Fellows at the Harvard Club in NYC on Thurs. March 15, 2018 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. This event was funded by the NYC Metro Funds. Forty five friends joined us includ-ing AAUW NYC Fellows and AAUW leaders from National, NYS Board & District V Branches.

Name: Natalia Ortiz Award Year: 2017-18 Award: American Fellowship Institution: The Graduate Center The City University of New York, Location: New York, New York Discipline: Education Degree and Specialization: Ph.D., Teacher Education Project Name: Time to Act: Reflecting, Un packing, and Confronting Racism through Theater: A Study of the Body, Critical Dia logues, and Choques

Natalia Ortiz is a mother, scholar, educator, and activist. In her research, she explores how teachers engage in critical dialogues around race and racism using applied theater and theater of the oppressed techniques. Through this study, Ortiz hopes to offer an alternative reflective practice in teacher education, one that engages the body and mind. Previously, she taught U.S. history to overaged, under-credited youth in New York City.

V O L U M E 6 N O 2 Page 2 Spring 2018

A LETTER FROM THE EMPIRE STATE VIRTUAL BRANCH PRESIDENT, MARIA ELLIS

Dear Friends, Congratulations to the Fellows and Alumnae and AAUW Leadership who were able to join us at our Third Annual NYC Fellows Recognition dinner held at the Harvard Club in NYC on Thursday, March 15, 2018.

Some of the participating Fellows and AAUW staff in-cluded Anca Agachi, Columbia University. Award: In-ternational Fellowship; Claudia Astorino, Graduate Center, CUNY. Award: American Fellowship; Sau-Fong

Au, Brooklyn College Women's Center. Award: Community Action Grant; Nikki Barrier, Senior Program Associate, Online Content & Curriculum, AAUW; Katie Bierlein, New York University. Award: Career Development Grant; Sierra Clouse, Columbia University. Award: Career Development Grant; Sophia Dadas, JP Morgan Chase. Award: International Fellowship; Elizabeth Dankenbring, Columbia University. Award: Career Develop-ment Grant; Angela DeGeorge, Parsons School of Design. Award: Select-ed Professions; Paola Duran, HANAC, Inc. Award: International Fellow-ship; Terehas Edwards, Award: Career Development Grant; Joan Flores-Villalobos, New York University. Award: American Fellowship; Anamika Goyal, Cornell University. Award: Selected Professions; Allison Goldberg, AB InBev Foundation. Award: American Fellowship; Danielle Guindo, YWCA Brooklyn. Award: Community Action Grant; Yelda Hangun-Balkir, Manhattan College. Award: American Fellowship; Shaivi Kochar, New York University. Award: International Fellowship; Mary Elise Lauterbur, Stony Brook University. Award: American Fellowship; Elizabeth Miller, Carnegie Mellon University. Award: Career Development Grant; Ana Montgomery-Neutze, School of Visual Arts. Award: International Fellow-ship; Michelle O'Brien, New York University. Award: American Fellow-ship; Natalia Ortiz, CUNY Graduate School and University Center. Award: American Fellowship; Lyn Pentecost, the Lower Eastside Girls Club. Award: Community Action Grant; Johanna Polanco, Alfred University. Award: Career Development Grant; Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW Senior Vice President of Fellowships & Programs and Payal Sindha, AAUW, AAUW Senior Program Associate, Fellowships & Grants. See event pic-tures on page 3.

Special thanks to our AAUW NYS Leadership Team for making our Third Annual NYC Fellows Recognition dinner such an inspirational event Roli Wendorf, AAUW NYS President; Mary Lou Davis, AAUW NYS Past Presi-dent; Edwina Martin, AAUW NYS Past President; Jane Pendergast, AAUW NYS C/U Director; Stephanie Lemnios, AAUW NYS Program VP; Maria Ellis, AAUW Empire State Virtual NY Branch President and Dr. C.S. Rani, AAUW Empire State Virtual NY Branch Treasurer.

Congratulations to Maria Ellis, ESVP President and Roli Wendorf, AAUW NYS President for a very successful Start Smart/Salary Negotiation Work-shop at the Jackie Robinson Foundation Mentoring and Leadership Con-ference held on Monday, March 5th at the Marriott in midtown Manhat-tan. See event pictures on page 9.

Special; congrats to the leaders of the Rockland Branch for a very suc-cessful 19th Annual Diversity Brunch held on Sat. Feb. 24 at the St. Charles A.M. E Zion Church in Sparkill, NY. The topic was: Take another Step: Empowering Women in the Political arena and it was hosted by the Rockland County Branch and the Empire State Virtual Branch in col-laboration with the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and the Rockland Women's Political Caucus! See event pictures on page 4.

I would like to extend our special “Thank You” to all the AAUW Fellows and AAUW friends who have participated in the Empire State Virtual NY Branch teleconferences held the last Tuesday of every month. Some of the Spring speakers have included: Saumya Tripathi, a lecturer at NYU Silver School of Social Work, where she teaches social work research methodologies and social welfare pro-

research methodology at Fordham School of Social Work starting this January 2018. Apart from her teaching endeavors, she is also involved in research at Center on Violence against Women and Children (VAWC), School of Social Work, Rutgers University. Her current research focuses on study to assess the economic empow-erment among the South Asian immigrant women in New York City and New Jersey. Saumya’s areas of interest and expertise in-clude women and gender issues, research methodologies, social policy & planning, women in informal economy, international de-velopment and human rights. She is involved in a number of advo-cacy and leadership initiatives. She has been panelist and speaker to various events including United Nations. She directed a short film on women issues in India, acclaiming an award and wide me-dia coverage.

Charlene Gorda Costanzo is an award-winning author, workshop facilitator, wife, mother of two adult daughters, and grandmother of twins. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure Uni-versity and an M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Originally from New Jersey, she has resided in New York, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. During a one-year book tour to launch The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene and her husband en-joyed living in an RV in 48 of the 50 states. The Twelve Gifts collec-tion of books began in 1987 when Charlene wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth as a life message for her own, then teenage daugh-ters. Twelve years later she published the book and discussed its message in schools, shelters, prisons, churches, and hospitals throughout the United States. For more information, click in Char-lene's website and social media links: http://charlenecostanzo.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFHWGz9TjTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ArbEFK79s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js9B9DZSYJs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRznr4Qj2no

The Empire State Virtual NY Branch (ESVB) has been invited by Diane Haney for the North Shore Branch, Equal Pay Day event on April 10th. For more information about this event, contact Diane Haney at haneydhd@gmail.com. Please join us at the Harvard Club on Thursday, April 12 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm for our Great Decisions Program. We will be talking about U.S. Global Engage-ment and the Military. To join in for tea and conversation, email Julie Kleszczewski at juliek@msn.com.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our AAUW NYS Convention on April 20-22 at the Radisson Hotel in Corning, NY! I trust that you have already registered for our AAUW NYS Convention. If you have not yet registered, click on the link below for registration in-formation. http://aauwnyswp.aauw-nys.org/wp/index.php/state-events-2/nys-convention/ Let’s continue to move our AAUW mission forward while develop-ing great friendships and having fun! Best Always, Maria Ellis, MBA Empire State Virtual NY Branch President Email: mellis@fsacap.com Mobile: 973-216-4181 https://empire-ny.aauw.net/ https://www.facebook.com/EmpireStateVirtualNY To become a member or to renew your membership click on the link below. https://svc.aauw.org/RECore/wMembership/NewJoinBranch_Enter.asp?branchid=NY2091

V O L U M E 6 N O 2 Page 3 Spring 2018

Meet the 2018 AAUW NYC Fellows at the Harvard Club!

Maria Ellis, Mary Lou Davis & AAUW NYC Fellows

Natalia Ortiz

Julie K & AAUW NYC Fellows

Gloria Blackwell & Edwina Martin

Roli Wendorf & Maria Ellis

Dr. Rani & AAUW NYC Fellows

Maria Ellis & AAUW NYC Fellows

AAUW NYC Fellows

Dr. Rani, Maria, Julie K & AAUW

NYC Fellows

Congratulations to the Empire State Virtual NY Branch for par-ticipating in “Passing the Torch of Liberty” from AAUW Branch to AAUW Branch in Celebration of the Centennials of Women gaining the Right to Vote in NYS in 1917 and the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Also congratulations to the fol-lowing branches who have Passed the Torch thus far: Islip Ar-ea Branch, Smithtown Area Branch, LI Interbranch, Nassau County Branch, Massapequa Area Branch, Westchester Coun-ty Branch, Poughkeepsie Branch, AAUW NYS Board Albany, Rockland County Branch, Kingston Branch and the Empire State Virtual NY Branch.

AAUW NYS President Roli Wendorf Passing the Torch of Liberty to Empire State Virtual NY Branch President Maria Ellis!

Saumya Tripathi is a lecturer at NYU Silver School of Social Work, where she teaches social work research methodologies and social welfare pro-grams and policies. She would also be teaching advanced social work research methodology at Fordham School of Social Work starting this Janu-ary 2018.

Apart from her teaching endeavors, she is also involved in research at Center on Violence against Women and Children (VAWC), School of Social Work, Rutgers University. Her current re-search focuses on study to assess the economic empowerment among the south Asian immi-grant women in New York City and New Jersey.

With several years of diverse experience in social work, she worked with United Nations and Women's World Banking in New York City. Her previous experienc-es include working in corporate social responsibility and with multiple NGOs, government institutions, marginalized communities, informal sector and cancer patients in India.

Saumya’s areas of interest and expertise include women and gender issues, research methodologies, social policy & planning, women in informal economy, international development and human rights. She is involved in a number of advocacy and leadership initiatives. She has been panelist and speaker to vari-ous events including United Nations. She directed a short film on women issues in India, acclaiming an award and wide media coverage.

A national beauty pageant finalist and model turned social worker, Ms Saumya completed her MSW at College of Social Work Nirmala Niketan Mumbai and received her M.Phil. from Madras school of social work in Chennai where her research focused on Gender sensitivity.

Saumya Tripathi

V O L U M E 6 N O 2 Page 4 Spring 2018

19th Annual Diversity Brunch Hosted by AAUW of Rockland County &

AAUW Empire State (NY) Virtual Branch Saturday, February 24, 2018

Roli Wendorf, AAUW NYS President

Unarmed Civilian! Member

Members of Rockland County Branch

Jean Heavens, Roli Wendorf, Maria Ellis, Edwina Martin & Members of Rockland County Branch

Edwina Martin & Panelists Edwina Martin, Co-President, AAUW Rockland Branch

Edwina Martin and panelists including Beverly Neufeld, founder and CEO of PowHer New York; Maureen McGarry Porette, a long-practicing social justice attorney in Rockland County and chair of the Rockland Women’s Political Caucus; and Emilia White, a licensed child care provider and Deputy Mayor of Spring Valley who ran for Mayor in 2017

Suzanne DeChillo/photographer, The New York Times Annie Houle of the WAGE Project uses $1 bills and play money to show men’s pay advantage over different groups of women. Her program teaches women how to negotiate for better salaries. Did you see the article on the wage gap on the front page of the business section of the New York Times? If you haven’t read the article, click on the link below for details: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/business/to-solve-the-gender-wage-gap-learn-to-speak-up.html?ref=business&_r=1

Page 5 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2

Learning to Negotiate the Wage Start Smart Workshop Sponsored by

AAUW’s Westchester and Empire State Virtual Branch! Place: New York Institute of Technology

Date/Time: Fall 2018 (TBD) Time: 4 - 6 p.m.

My Start Smart AHA moment was when I realized that I could have gotten a much higher salary dur-ing the role playing exercise. I feel that instead of taking the employ-er’s word , I should have negotiat-ed more; now I know better! I real-ly enjoyed the workshop and I learned quite a bit. I want to thank you and everyone involved for taking the time to share this very valuable information with us.

Maryam Khan, NYIT Student

What are the 2018 AAUW National Bylaws Amendments?

For more information about the proposed amendments, click on the link below: https://svc.aauw.org/recore/docu/aauw-bylaws-2017.pdf Here are the key dates for AAUW’s 2018 bylaws amendment vote:

February 22, 2018 Comment period opens online for members to propose amendments to the AAUW Bylaws and propose resolutions

March 22, 2018 Proposal period closes at 11:59 p.m. ET

April 16, 2018 Opening date to request paper ballot

Mid-April 2018 Bylaws proposals and resolutions published in the spring AAUW Outlook; voter PINs emailed to members and mailed with the spring AAUW Outlook magazine to members without registered email addresses and those that have requested to receive Outlook in the mail

April 25, 2018 Voting begins online

May 7, 2018 Deadline for AAUW to receive request for paper ballot

May 21, 2018 Deadline for mailing paper ballot; ballot must be post-marked by 11:59 p.m. ET to be counted

June 9, 2018 Online voting ends at 9 p.m. ET

June 10, 2018 Vote results announced online

Jessica Sims, American Fellow

Jessica Sims is the newly appointed Violence Against Women Committee Chair for WG-USA. She completed her doctorate in philoso-phy at Stony Brook University this past De-cember and was the recipient of AAUW’s American Dissertation Fellowship for the 2016-2017 school year. Her research focuses on psychological torture, aka non-state tor-ture, and its long-term effects on human con-sciousness. The practical example that she uses in her work is a type of domestic vio-lence known as “coercive control.” She aims to explain why many women who suffer from this abuse often refuse to leave an abusive partner even when given the clear opportuni-ty to do so. She concludes that the abuser’s combined use of aggression and affection causes a form of anxiety in the victim that causes her to actually become addicted to him. This ultimately means that she will require rehabilitation to “get clean” just like any other recov-ering addict. Jessica is currently transitioning from academia to nonprofit outreach in order to use her research to aid those suffering from this af-fliction. She lives in Brooklyn and relishes exploring New York’s hidden mysteries. As a native Montanan, she also enjoys walking in NYC’s various parks and is skilled in the art of urban hiking. Thus far, she has successful-ly explored much of Brooklyn and Manhattan on foot.

Page 6 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2

Heide Parreño, D&I director, Empire State Virtual NY Branch

As my reflection and a way too thank you for letting me serve for five years as D&I director. I am sharing a poem from The Chinook Psal-ter. The Chinook, unrecognized Indian Na-tion in the Northwest

Vernal Equinox Everywhere is the green of new growth. The amazing sight of the renewal of the earth. We watch the grass once again emerging from the ground. We notice the bright green atop the dark green on the pine, the fir, the hemlock the spruce, the cedar. The alder is already in leaf. The old plum trees still blossom, leaf and give forth fruit. The locusts late as always. Everywhere and always the song of birds……bees raiding the orchard, raccoon prowling at

nightfall, the earthworm tunneling the garden, chickens and rabbits pecking and nibbling, the goats tugging to reach new delights………..are all the

ubiquitous energies of life. O Lord, May we today, be touched by grace, fascinated and moved

by this your creation, energized by the power of new growth at work in your world. May we move beyond viewing this life only

through a frame, but touch it and be touched by it, know it and be known by it, love it and be loved by it. May our bodies, our minds our spirits,learn a new rhythm paced by the rhythmic pulse of the whole created order. May spring come to us, be in us, and recreate life in

us. May we forge a new friendship with the natural world and discover a new affinity with beauty, with life, and with the Cosmic Christ in whom all things were created

in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or princi-

palities or authorities….for all things were created through him and for him. his name. Amen.

Chinook Psalter

Whose Story Do We Tell? Whose Story Do We Chose To Listen?

By Anita Nahal, Ph.D., CDP

Every day, we encounter stories, told "by" us, or others, "to" us, and "for" us. However, no story told, is entirely complete, or entire-ly true. In my training as a historian, I was taught, that there is no absolute truth in history. A good book on this topic is, E. H. Carr’s What Is History. And, in turn, I told my stu-dents all the stories I knew, letting them

think, analyze and decide for themselves, which story they believed in...and then expected them to substantiate that story with facts. After all, facts are critical for trying to establish some kind of accuracy to a story.

However, how quickly we form our opinions...biased, and preju-diced, or not...or somewhat, or lots...and react to stories told to us, or towards those who tell the story. Especially, touchy we are, when folks tell us what "our" story is, or “needs to be”…thereby “taking own-ership” of us. Or when folks interpret our stories, from their perspec-tive only. How challenging it can become sometimes to try to tell our own story!

In this short video by Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, The danger of a single story, TEDGlobal 2009 ( https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story ), there are many striking points, among which, the speaker says, that the danger of a single story is not that it might not be true, but that its incomplete. In the context of happenings around the world, especial-ly these days, how a story is told, and who tells it, and how much is told, and how much left out, becomes even more critical.

So, let’s give a thought on how we tell our own story, and those of others, and how we listen to the stories of other, before forming an opinion that might not be absolutely true.

I am pasting below here a poem of mine on this topic that was pub-lished last year in Confluence. Stories By Anita Nahal

We all have stories to tell depends on which and how, peeling off layers, slowly, as in an onion, the smell of which putrefies my sensibilities which I camouflage in sweet and sour notes. Like Hemingway, we can only touch the surface, not interested in delving deeper into hidden reservoirs of subterranean icebergs, and scratch only those that we can bear to share wherein secrets don’t hide under banisters like fearful dirt not meeting the eyes, or chose to remain quiet like a night owl walking in reviving morning mists as many may not understand. Either way, some may just peer into reflections of carefully crafted holiday pictures.

(Published in Confluence, May 2017)

Congratulations to our own Betty Harrel's project, "Leading to Reading" in Poughkeepsie Branch for being honored at the UN on April 6, 2018. The award will be presented at the CTAUN meeting. Betty, Congratula-tions on your incredible leadership and accomplish-ment in achieving this recognition. We're so proud of you!

V O L U M E 6 N O 2 Page 7 Spring 2018

Topics for Great Decisions* 2018 Dates Reviewers

5. Turkey: a Partner in Crisis By Ömer Taşpinar

Of all NATO allies, Turkey represents the most daunting challenge for the Trump administration. In the wake of a failed military coup in July 2016, the autocratic trend in Ankara took a turn for the worse. One year on, an overwhelming majority of the population considers the United States to be their country’s greatest security threat. In this age of a worsening “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West, even more important than its place on the map is what Turkey symbolically represents as the most institutionally Westernized Muslim country in the world.

4th Thurs, Mar.22 Maria Ellis

6. U.S. Global Engagement and the Military By Gordon Adams

The global power balance is rapidly evolving, leaving the United States at a turning point with respect to its level of engagement and the role of its military. Some argue for an “America First” paradigm, with a large military to ensure security, while others call for a more assertive posture overseas. Some advocate for a restoration of American multilateral leadership and a strengthened role for diplomacy. Still others envision a restrained U.S. role, involving a more limited military. How does the military function in today’s international order, and how might it be balanced with diplomatic and foreign assistance capabilities?

2nd Thurs, April 12 Linda Smith

7. South Africa’s Fragile Democracy By Sean Jacobs

The African National Congress (ANC) party has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. But the party today suffers from popular frustration over official corruption and economic stagnation. It faces growing threats from both left and right opposition parties, even as intraparty divisions surface. Given America’s history of opportunistic engagement with Africa, there are few prospects for a closer relationship between the two countries. Meanwhile, a weaker ANC could lead to political fragmentation in this relatively new democracy.

4th Thurs, April.26 Jane Mallison

3. China and America: the New Geopolitical Equation By David M. Lampton

In the last 15 years, China has implemented a wide-ranging strategy of economic outreach and expansion of all its national capacities, including military and diplomatic capacities. Where the United States has taken a step back from multilateral trade agreements and discarded the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), China has made inroads through efforts like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). What are Beijing’s geopolitical objectives? What leadership and political conditions in each society underlie growing Sino-American tensions? What policies might Washington adopt to address this circumstance?

2th Thurs, May 10 Jayne Herrick

Charles Room, The Harvard Club, 27 W 44th St., 5:30—7:30 p.m. For more information, email Julie K: juliek@msn.com

4. Media and Foreign Policy By Susan Moeller

State and non-state actors today must maneuver a complex and rapidly evolving media landscape. Conventional journalism now competes with user-generated content. Official channels of communication can be circumvented through social media. Foreign policy is tweeted from the White House and “fake news” has entered the zeitgeist. Cyberwarfare, hacking and misinformation pose complex security threats. How are actors using media to pursue and defend their interests in the international arena? What are the implications for U.S. policy?

4th Thurs, May 24 Ruth Wong

Celebrating

International Women’s Day &

Women’s History Month

at Gracie Mansion in NYC

Thursday, March 8, 2018

with Mentee, Mikaela Rose Blanchard and Jessica Sims,

AAUW American Fellow!

Page 8 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2

WeAreTheChangeAgents: The Exhilarating 19th Annual Diversity

Brunch By

Edwina Frances Martin, Esq. ESVB Public Policy Co-VP

Evvie Currie Giving Circle $100.00, Margaret Currie

Unrestricted LAF Support $100.00, Maria Ellis

LAF Fund $100, Dr. C.S. Rani

Tech Trek Fund $20.00, Heidi Parreño

AAUW Fund $20.00, Elaine Fenton

Thank You for Your Donation to the AAUW Funds!

SALARY HISTORY BAN BILL AAUW, of course, supports pay equity. This year’s push, pro-pelled by PowHerNY and supported by AAUW NYS, is to pass a salary history ban bill. If a woman’s salary on a new job is based on her old, lesser salary, she will never escape the first discrimination she experiences. This is a simple fix to the prob-lem. Please send a letter asking your state senator to vote for and sponsor S6737A. Here is a sample letter. Copy and paste away! Or make a phone call. Dear Senator _ Please vote for and sponsor S.6737A, the bill that eliminates the use of past wage history in setting the wages of job appli-cants. According to PowHerNY there is growing acceptance of this proposed law as a best practice among companies such as American Express and Google. A recent study of busi-nesses of different sizes found that implementation is not diffi-cult. This simple step is a powerful means of making wages more fair and eliminating injustices. Sincerely, Branch, AAUW Created by Diane Haney Bylaws: North Shore Branch, ESVB

Saturdays are precious for busy women. Balancing the demands of work, home, and civic commitments can be overwhelming at times, and Saturdays have become that rare opportunity to catch or even get ahead on our ever-increasing to-do lists. If we make a commitment on a Saturday, it has to be worth the additional time we are spending away from our families, it must be meaningful, and it must be impactful. This year’s Annual Diversity Brunch was just such an event. On Saturday, February 24th, against the backdrop of the historic 1865 St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church in Sparkill, NY, AAUW Rockland and Empire State Virtual Branches hosted the 19th Annual Diversity Brunch, “Take Another Step: Empowering Women in the Political Arena,” held in collaboration with the Rockland chapters of Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta, and the Rockland Women’s Political Caucus. Moderated by me, the event’s engaging panelists included Beverly Neufeld, founder and CEO of PowHer New York, a community working across barriers to connect people, energize a movement, and accelerate progress on women’s economic issues; Maureen McGarry Porette, a long-practicing social justice attorney in Rockland County and chair of the Rockland Women’s Political Cau-cus, who ran for County Executive in 2017; and Emilia White, a licensed child care provider and Deputy Mayor of Spring Valley who ran for Mayor in 2017. The well-attended program provided a wide-ranging exploration of the issues on the legislative agenda in Albany this session – including reproductive rights, maternal mortality and maternal depression, storage of rape kits time limits, sexual harassment policy, statewide childcare and Pre-K expansion, a NYS Salary History Ban, Tipped Worker issues, and Childcare subsidies – and also ad-dressed the need for more women at the table to be a part of these policy dis-cussions, and the challenges women face when running for office. The discus-sion and Q&A touched on the special sacrifices women, often the caretakers at home, make in running for office, and the guilt associated with that burden; challenges in fundraising; and the preparation needed when running outside of established political party support structures. NYS Assembly Member and AAUW member Ellen Jaffee attended the event and was an active participant, speaking in particular about the importance of efforts to gain fair wages for tipped workers, many of whom are women, in the ‘One Fair Wage’ campaign, legislation which she sponsored in the Assembly. She also graciously gave New York State Assembly citations to the panelists. The sponsoring organizations discussed working collaboratively on supporting: Salary History Ban legislation (A.6707/S.5233) that would prohibit employers in New York State from forcing potential employees to disclose their salary history, a practice that enables employers to underpay women and minorities because employers use a potential employee’s past wage to determine what salary to offer; the ‘One Fair Wage’ campaign to eliminate lower minimum wages for tipped workers (A.6203/S.4405); and $100 million in childcare subsidies in the 2018-2019 fiscal year budget. Other ideas discussed by the attendees included: —Demanding gender and racial parity on boards and commissions; —Reviewing the gender make-up of county boards and commissions; and —Sponsoring a joint Legislative Advocacy Workshop session; It was a challenging, deeply personal, engaging, and ultimately exhilarating day. There was an incredible energy in the room and I think we were all excited to work together to lift up all women and families in our communities. Edwina Frances Martin, Esq. Co-President, AAUW Rockland Branch Public Policy Co-VP, Empire State Virtual Branch Past President, AAUW-NYS

Thank you for your generous and thought-ful donations to

the Empire State Virtual Branch!

Maria Ellis

Dr. C.S. Rani

Dot McLane

Joan Monk

Marilyn Tedeschi

Page 9 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2

Fairy Tales Wisdom by Joan Monk

"Never get tired of doing little things for others. For sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their heart.'" - Ida Azhari

Positive Affirmation

Today I am stronger than yesterday. I see the sunshine peering through the darkness.

An Act of KIindness

Go out of your way to make someone laugh today. Laughter feels so good and is a true gift!

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/0MXiU2yoGeY

Meir Kay spreads positivity and cheer by complimenting com-plete strangers through free style rap and beatboxing.

www.letitripple.org Joan S. Monk

Leadership Board Coordinator

Character Day &

50/50 Day April 26, 2018

ftmaven@gmail.com 914-245-7704 (h) 914-486-1182 (c)

Join Us for 50/50 Day on April 26, 2018!

Jackie Robinson Foundation—2018 Mentoring & Leadership Conference

V O L U M E 6 N O 2 Page 10 Spring 2018

Cool Workshops for EYO 2018: are listed below:

1. Blizzard in a Bottle!: Create a "snowflake crystal" scene in a jar using Chem-

istry!. 2. Brain Games. Learn about some of the mind boggling things a brain can

do from making memories to controlling emotions. 3. Egg-cellent Parachutes Don’t let it Splat! Learn about the basic of flight in

order to ensure your egg’s safe landing in a parachute. 4. Hands-On Cosmetic Chemistry. Step into the laboratory and design your

own cosmetic portion. 5. It’s a Sugar…It’s a Base…It’s DNA! Discover the structure of DNA and learn

how to isolate DNA from your own cells painlessly. 6. Kitchen Concoctions!: Ransack your kitchen and come learn the chemistry

behind the products you see in your cabinets every day! 7. Lifting the Chemical Fingerprint. Learn to be a detective and start using

your eyes, ears, nose and some weird tools to track down strange smells … let’s hunt down those clues!

8. Paper Engineering + Origami = (Fun):2 . You will learn how to use paper to build a icosahedron shaped container in which you can store jewelry and other small items. You will also make a spinning top.

9. Play Doctor. Learn the physical exam components and tools that the doc-tors and PAs use to evaluate sick patients.

10. Playing Games in Alice World”. Learn to create interactive games using "Alice" programming.

11. RollingDroneBots. Manually operate and program Unmanned Ground Vehicles.

12. Using Leverage to get Super Powers.. Learn basics about how levers can multiply force and how leverage is used in everyday items. Build and take home a model of a common type of lever.

13. Wading through the Web. Smarter searching on the Internet—DeeperWeb, Clusty, Carrot, website reliability checks. Oh My!

14. What is a Cell? Ever wonder how big cells are? Play a computer game to help scientist’s measure cell sizes.

15. Whatever Floats Your Boat. Keep your boat afloat with your knowledge of material science and forces.

16. Women & Machine. Learn about and create mechanical systems that mim-ic or interact with the human body in beautiful and useful ways.

Blizzard in a Bottle!

Explore Your

Opportunities:

The Sky’s the Limit!TM

15th Year Conference

April 14, 2018

College of Mount Saint Vincent

Riverdale (Bronx), New York

Lifting the Chemical Fingerprint NYS Summer Leadership Conference July 20-22, 2018

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY

welcomes and encourages undergraduate, graduate, and international students to the

conference!

Register today! https://www.nccwsl.org/registration/

Wed-Sat, May 30 - June 2, 2018

University of Maryland, College Park

NCCWSL hosts dynamic, leadership-building workshops

Early-Bird & National Scholarships Application (save $100!) Available: November 1, 2017—January 31, 2018

Regular Registration Application: Available: February 1—April 30, 2018

The 19th CTAUN Conference at the UN 

F r i d a y ,  Ap r i l   6 t h ,   2 0 1 8  

 

“Stepping Up to Protect the World’s Children” 

One Year After The Women’s March Moving Onward: Empowering Women

AAUW & Non-AAUW Members Welcome More information on speakers & workshops

will be published by December 2017

For more information go to AAUW NYS website at http://aauwnyswp.aauw-nys.org/wp/

Page 11 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2

CALENDAR FOR MARCH - JULY 2018

Name: Please click on the link below to join us:

http://www.aauw.org and follow the steps for online registration. If you prefer to write a check for your membership, please issue a check paya-ble to AAUW and mail it to Angela M. Cooper, AAUW Membership Dept, 1111 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. If you have any questions, please call Angela at 202 785 7782 or Maria Ellis at 973 216 4181.

Address:

Telephone:

Email:

College Attended:

Day Date Time Event Fri 03/16/18 4:00-6:00 p.m. Start Smart Workshop, New York Institute of Technology Tues 03/20/18 First Day of Spring Tues

03/27/18

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Empire State Virtual Branch Teleconference, Call 515 739 1032; code 223128#

Fri 03/30/18 Good Friday—Passover Begins at Sunset Sun 04/01/18 Easter

Fri 04/06/18 CTAUN Conference at the UN Sat 04/14/18 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. EYO Conference, College of Mount Saint Vincent

Fri-Sun 04/20-22 AAUW-NYS Convention, Radisson Hotel, Corning, NY

Tues

04/24/18

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Empire State Virtual Branch Teleconference, Call 515 739 1032; code 223128#

Tues

04/24/18

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Empire State Virtual Branch Teleconference, Call 515 739 1032; code 223128#

Wed—Sat

05/30—06/02/18

NCCSL Coference at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Tues

06/26/18

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Empire State Virtual Branch Teleconference, Call 515 739 1032; code 223128#

Thurs 06/21/18 First Day of Summer

Mon 05/28/18 Memorial Day

Wed 07/04/18 Independence Day

Membership dues can be paid by a credit card or check. This feature is available on our website. Go to: http://empire-ny.aauw.net/PayPalMemForm.html or simply fill out and mail the coupon below:

Members interested in scheduling an event/meeting for the branch please contact the Program VP to reserve dates and confirm before publicizing the event/meeting.

Maria Ellis, mellis@fsacap.com Dr. C.S. Rani, csrani.rani.@gmail.com

Save the Dates:

Fri, April 6, 2018 All Day Event

CTAUN Conference at the UN

Sat, April 14, 2018 EYO Conference

College of Mount Saint Vincent, NY

Fri-Sun, April 20-22, 2018 2018 AAUW NYS Convention

Radisson Hotel Corning, NY

Wed—Sat, May 30—June 2, 2018 NCCWSL Conference

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Fri—Sun, July 20—22, 2018 NYS Summer Leadership Conference

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY

June 14 - 17, 2019 2019 AAUW National Convention

Washington, D.C.

Join or renew your membership with Empire State Virtual Branch! AAUW national dues are $49, AAUW NYS dues are $13.00, and the Empire State Virtual Branch dues are $5.00. The branch dues year is July 1 to June 30, and if you join now, your membership is good through June 30, 2018. See the various memberships below and to join, please visit our website at http://empire-ny.aauw.net/membership/

§ Not currently a member of AAUW: $67 ($49 for national dues, $13 for NYS; $5 for Empire) § Current branch member: $5 for a dual membership § Current member-at-large: $18 ($13 for NYS; $5 for Empire) § Current student member : $17* a year (Campus is not a college member) § Current student member on an AAUW NY member campus: Free § New Graduate: first year free § Graduate Student: member $18.81 a year § Primary Member & Donor for $100* a year including a generous contribution of $33 E

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AAUW Student Organizations

AAUW Student Organizations are composed of students en-rolled in college who are interested in AAUW issues and pro-grams. To start your own Student Organization at your col-lege, email Maria at mellis@fsacap.com

Empire State (NY) Virtual Branch

http://empire-ny.aauw.net/

American Association of University Women

advances equity for women and girls through advocacy,

education, and research.

AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual

orientation, national origin, disability, or class.

AAUW Interim Executive Director: Mark Hopkins AAUW President: Patricia Fae Ho AAUW NYS President: Roli Wendorf AAUW Empire State Virtual Branch President: Maria Ellis Websites: National: www.aauw.org State: www.aauw-nys.org Empire State Virtual Branch: http://empire-ny.aauw.net/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireStateVirtualNY EYO: www.aauw-eyhconference.org Webmaster: Dr. Chigurupati Rani; csrani.rani@gmail.com Empire Virtual Times is published quarterly by AAUW Empire State Virtual Branch Editor-In-Chief: Dr. Chigurupati Rani, csrani.rani@gmail.com; Editorial and Writing Team: Maria Ellis; Dr. Chigurupati Rani; Nancy Mion, myown220@aol.com; & Dr. Anita Nahal & Heide Parreño Design: Maria Ellis & Dr. Chigurupati Rani

AAUW EMPIRE STATE VIRTUAL BRANCH

Officers & Directors-at-Large

President: Maria Ellis, Empire State Virtual Branch (ESVB) Program VP: Open

Membership VP: Open AAUW Funds VP: Open

Recording Secretary: Eileen Hartmann, Fairport Area Branch, ESVB Treasurer: Dr. Chigurupati S. Rani, (ESVB)

Directors-at-Large:

Bylaws: Diane Haney, North Shore Branch, ESVB College & University Relations: Lorrin Johnson, Westchester Branch, ESVB

Communications Director: Open Cultural Director & Young Women Task Force Liaison: Open

Diversity Director, Heidi Parreño, ESVB International Director: Dr. Carol Huie, ESVB

Parliamentarian: Laurie Ginnitti, Jamestown Branch Public Policy: Nancy Mion, Islip Area Branch, ESVB

Edwina Martin, Rockland Branch, ESVB

Special Projects Joan Monk & Anita Nahal, ESVB

Ellis & Friends Fund

Any individual donations to the Empire State Virtual Branch will be matched by the fund.

Members will kindly send in their articles for the Empire Virtual Times

at the beginning of each quarter (January, April, July, October)

to mellis@fsacap.com & csrani.rani@gmail.com. Send your ideas and letters to Maria Ellis and Dr. C.S. Rani.

AAUW will be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.

The Empire State Virtual Branch is the first virtual branch in New York State.

Page 12 Spring 2018 V O L U M E 6 N O 2