We had a very productive DEI (Diversity Equity Inclusion) Committee Zoom Meeting Tuesday March 26 evening, led by our branch Co-President Ogie Strogatz. The topic was the upcoming spring National AAUW vote to open membership to anyone who believes and wants to fight for our cause of Equity for All, not just those who have a degree.

Please click here for view our March 26, 2023 DEI meeting’s Powerpoint presentation:  Branch-Open-Membership-Presentation

Please read and review carefully. It addresses the history of our membership and why we are pushing harder than ever for a YES vote this year. Up until the 1940’s, members had to hold approved degrees from a small list of accredited schools, and prospective members had to be voted upon for admission. We are changing slowly from exclusive to inclusive. In 2021, 63% voted yes for open membership but it was short of the 66.7% vote required to change the By-laws.

At our December 2023 DEI Committee in person meeting and holiday dinner, we joined the National AAUW DEI monthly zoom meeting and heard the discussion of open membership and the upcoming vote this April. We had a lively discussion and all 10 of us voted unanimously YES for our DEI Committee to endorse open membership for AAUW for the future. Personally, I have been an AAUW member since 1987. This is the first time I will be voting YES to open membership. I abstained from voting in 2021 because I can see both sides of the issue and could not make a stand. After learning about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I will be working to convince everyone to vote this year, and vote YES for open membership.

Look for your National ballot in your email. Voting starts April 3 and ends May 15. Break our own barrier, VOTE YES for Open Membership.

For more information, please visit https://openupaauw.org/ and https://www.aauw.org/resources/member/open-membership-toolkit/

Please feel free to contact Ogie Strogatz or me (Teresa Cheung) if you want to discuss this topic one-on-one. We are available to hear your concerns and thoughts.

Teresa T. Cheung
DEI (Diversity Equity Inclusion) Officer
Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek AAUW
AAUWTeresa@gmail.com