AAUW Beaufort SC

The Etta N. Mann Non-Traditional Student Scholarship was awarded to Alyssa Roberts at our May branch meeting. Alyssa is a junior at USCB, majoring in Elementary Education. She works full time and volunteer tutors students after school, all while attending USCB full time. She is pictured here with Beaufort Branch President Janice Herbert.

This year's recipient of the AAUW Named Gift is Deb Noll, pictured here in the center with Peggy Scott and Janice Herbert.

Our April speakers were Jess O'Brien, Executive Director of the Beaufort Digital Corridor and Jeannine McConnell, IT consultant & Beaufort Digital Corridor board member. Their presentation was about Digital Literacy.

The AAUW Beaufort branch meeting had great speakers Tuesday evening from the Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic. The speakers were Cassi Kilpatrick, Executive Director, and Janie Lackman, Development Director.

We had a great turn out for our Holiday luncheon this month.

Our guest speaker for our November meeting was Belinda Jones She gave a presentation of her life journey and her family's Morning Glory Homestead Farm on St. Helena Island. She is pictured here with her husband and members Janice Herbert and Tally Essman.

Our guest speaker for our October meeting was Chrissy Washington who attended with her daughter Paige. Chrissy is a Board member for the future Sea Island Heritage Charter School. Her daughter is a 4th grade student at St. Helena Elementary School.

We held our third annual September social recently at the Beaufort Digital Corridor. Our special guests were members of DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization) and FABB (Families Against Book Bans). These groups advocate for intellectual freedom, education, and empathy. We were thrilled to meet them and applaud the good work they're doing in our community.

For those who are interested in supporting local literacy efforts -- or if you'd like to help local teachers with needed supplies -- consider visiting the Port Royal Farmers Market Saturday!

THE ERA CENTENNIAL CONVENTION happens next week, July 21-23, in Seneca Falls, NY, home of the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

It was 100 years ago, July 21, 1923, that Alice Paul first introduced the ERA at the Presbyterian Church in Seneca Falls. The target audience for the convention is young people, the next generation to continue the fight to include women in the U.S. Constitution, at long last.

To learn more go to https://www.womenofthehall.org/event/convention-days-era-centennial-celebration/ for all the details.

Convention Days & ERA Centennial Celebration - National Women’s Hall of Fame Each year, the Town of Seneca Falls hosts a weekend celebration commemorating the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. 2023 is the 175th anniversary of the convention as well as the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). To commemorate these historic anniversaries, multi...

For those interested in South Carolina legislation impacting the civil liberties of women, consider attending this event.

AAUW can help you stay informed and reach your legislators! Sign up here.

Become an AAUW Two-Minute Activist! Send emails and texts to your legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more. Sign up to get regular alerts to be able to take timely action.

We were thrilled to present our annual scholarship to Mackenzie Dorth on May 16.

She is a senior at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. She started off on a path to become a physical therapist, but she wasn’t passionate about this path. She took a year off from college at one point while she made decisions about her future. She found her passion when she met Liz, who has cerebral palsy. Mackenzie noticed that many people pitied Liz, and this seemed unfair and ignited a passion within her for helping other people. She was able to find a job where she works with children on the autism spectrum. Now, Mackenzie is a psychology major and plans to become a licensed practicing counselor or a social worker.

Congratulations to Mackenzie!

Your signature is needed!!! A vote recognizing the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will be held in the U.S. Senate this Thursday, 4/27. With Constitutional protection, women's rights cannot be ignored. Please sign the petition below and share with family and friends.

https://www.sign4era.org

Support the Equal Rights Amendment | Sign the Petition Support the Equal Rights Amendment! Sign the PetitionFirst Name *Last Name *Street AddressApartment, suite, etcCityState/ProvinceZIP / Postal Code *Email *PhonePlease do not fill in this field. I strongly support the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution as the 28th Amendment whic...

Please tell your State Senator to vote NO on S.109!

In February of this year, the SC House passed House Bill 3594. This bill and the Senate version of the bill, S.109, are both called constitutional carry by supporters. Fi****ms are now the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, and the leading cause of death in South Carolina, according to everytownresearch.org.

The problem with these bills is that:
They would allow people as young as 18 to carry a gun openly or concealed with no training and no background check.
These bills are a danger to law enforcement officers, because they would allow all those who were previously denied concealable weapons permits to carry guns in public places.
They would eliminate a person’s duty to notify police that they’re carrying a gun, and
They would make it impossible for officers to identify a “felon in possession” versus a law-abiding citizen with a gun.

Among the opponents of these bills at an April 5 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing, were police chiefs and state law enforcement officials, a concealed weapons permit instructor, a pediatrician, a mass shooting survivor, a Vietnam veteran, a retired teacher, a retired probation officer, a representative of Moms Demand Action and a ninth grader.

S.C. Law Enforcement Officers Association President Skip Holbrook told the panel that murder by guns has increased 55% over the past five years, and South Carolina has the fifth-highest homicide rate in the country.

Please take a minute to contact your State Senator and tell them to vote NO on S.109!
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/email.php?chamber=S

South Carolina Legislature Online - Send Message

Dr. Crystal Abitz of Legacy Wellness was our guest speaker last night. We enjoyed the reflective exercises she took us through. Please join us for our April meeting, 6pm, April 25. We are a non-partisan, non-denominational organization working to achieve equity for women locally, statewide, and nationally.

Pictured below, left to right: Peggy Scott, co-president; Julie Sayre, vice president for programs; Dr. Crystal Abitz, member and guest speaker; Dr. Angela Peery, co-president.

Our branch was out and about at the women's wellness weekend at USCB! Pictured are members Tally Essman and Janice Herbert. If you're interested in joining us as we advocate for equity for women, please get in touch!

A warrior for women has passed away. Thank you, Pat Schroeder, for all you did for all of us. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/14/1163292453/former-rep-pat-schroeder-a-pioneer-for-womens-rights-dies-at-82

Former Rep. Pat Schroeder, a pioneer for women's rights, dies at 82 Schroeder took on the powerful elite with her rapier wit and antics for 24 years, shaking up stodgy government institutions by forcing them to acknowledge that women had a role in government.

Today is Equal Pay Day...a day to ensure women are being paid fairly. Here's what it means. By way of the US Census Bureau, year-round, full-time working women in 2021 earn only 84% of the earnings of year-round, full-time working men. Here is the resolution inn the SC House sponsored by Reps. Spencer Wetmore and Rep. Heather Bauer.

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/4132.htm

RECOGNIZE THE FULL VALUE OF WOMEN'S SKILLS AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LABOR FORCE, ENCOURAGE BUSINESSES TO CONDUCT AN INTERNAL PAY EVALUATION TO ENSURE WOMEN ARE BEING PAID FAIRLY, AND DECLARE TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023, AS "EQUAL PAY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, more than fifty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials; and

Whereas, according to statistics released in 2022 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year-round, full-time working women in 2021 earned only eighty-four percent of the earnings of year-round, full-time working men, indicating little change or progress in pay equity; and

Whereas,, women of color in the United States experience the nation's persistent and pervasive gender-wage gap most severely: white, non-Hispanic women are paid seventy-three cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, while Black women are paid sixty-four cents, Latina women fifty-four cents, Native American women fifty-one cents, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women as little as fifty-two cents, as Burmese and Nepalese women are, and overall eighty cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men; and

Whereas, comparing all women and all men in South Carolina with jobs, the annual gender wage gap is $10,936; and

Whereas, on average, American women lose a combined total of nearly $1.6 trillion every year due to the overall wage gap; and

Whereas, over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits and pensions; and

Whereas, this persistent, pervasive wage gap is driven in part by gender and racial discrimination, workplace harassment, job segregation, and a lack of workplace policies that support family caregiving, which is still most often performed by women; and

Whereas, these same factors led to women being hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and recession - working in many of the most-affected industries and bearing the brunt of increased caregiving without schools or childcare. If nothing is done, the lifetime effects of the wage gap will only grow; and

Whereas, fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and

Whereas, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and

Whereas, Tuesday, March 14, 2023, symbolizes the time this year in which the wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize the full value of women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force, encourage businesses to conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure women are being paid fairly, and declare Tuesday, March 14, 2023, as "Equal Pay Day" in South Carolina.

This is women's history month. Please join us in advocating for equity for women!

On Feb. 11, our local branch, in cooperation with the Beaufort County School District and the University of South Carolina Beaufort, hosted our annual STEM career day for middle school girls. This year, we added A (for arts) and made it a STEAM day! See the video here... and please plan to spread the word about this event next year. The more, the merrier! We love encouraging young women to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBlQdf7tuvo

STEAM Workshop for Young Women More than 100 young women had the opportunity to explore STEAM careers hands-on at the LAUNCH Your Future with STEAM workshop.

March 8 is International Women's Day. Our member Crystal Abitz will be speaking at an event on Fripp Island to honor this important day. If you're looking for a great way to spend your afternoon, consider joining Crystal at this event.

Our organization was pleased to have financial advisor Carson Bruce speak with us at our February meeting. Our meetings always enlighten us -- this time about women and finances. Come join us in March.

The AAUW has a rich history of advocating for women. This month, Women's History Month, learn more about AAUW has done, and help us march forward. https://www.aauw.org/about/history/

Our History AAUW’s story begins in 1881, when a small group of female college graduates banded together to open the doors for women’s career advancement and to encourage more women to pursue higher education.

Our Beaufort branch will be represented at the Women's Wellness Retreat this month at USCB. We hope to see you there! https://www.uscbcenterforthearts.com/womens-wellness-retreat

Women's Wellness Retreat | USCB Center for the Arts Join USCB Center for the Arts for our Annual Women's Wellness WeekRetreat, March 24-25, 2023. We invite women of all ages to our empowering weekend full of amazing interactive workshops and discussions led by experienced teachers, trainers, and practitioners. Enjoy a wide range of topics including p...

Blaire Lent, head of school of The Complete Student in Port Royal, was our guest speaker Jan. 24. We enjoyed her personal story -- and learned so much about the school of 88 secondary students.

There are currently two bills in the South Carolina legislature that will greatly impact public education if passed. Please contact your legislators to let your voice be heard.

One is about the teaching of American history -- preventing certain concepts from being included in instruction and professional development for teachers. The bill can be found at this link.
https://legiscan.com/SC/text/H3728/2023

Another is about directing public funds to parents to pay for private schools. The latest version of this bill can be found at this link.
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/prever/39_20230118.htm

2023-2024 Bill 39 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 19, 2023) - South Carolina Legislature Online to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-8-110 so as to define necessary terms; by adding Section 59-8-120 so as to provide timeline and scholarship application process guidelines; by adding Section 59-8-130 so as to establish the south carolina education scholarship trust fund;...

Excellent articles about girls and STEM education. Our STEAM event for middle school girls in Beaufort County schools is Sat., Feb. 11. If you know a girl who'd like to go, please have her check with her science teacher or guidance counselor! https://tinyurl.com/44b6afh2

We learned a lot about girls and STEM in 2022 From local schools to the top universities, programs in South Carolina are targeting the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. New findings from 2022 show why

Our Beaufort branch has an active book club. The club meets monthly on the day after our regular business meeting. Here's a photo from the Christmas luncheon that the club enjoyed at the Dataw Island Clubhouse recently. Merry Christmas to all!

About half of our membership was able to enjoy a lovely lunch at Lowcountry Produce in downtown Beaufort today! Some of the ladies then went to the First Presbyterian Church to see an exhibit of nativity scenes. One wonderful thing about AAUW Beaufort is that we find so many common interests! We wish everyone a terrific holiday season and will meet again Jan. 24, 2023. Please come join us as we advocate for women and girls.