Dear Members & Supporters,
This month marks an important landmark for AAUW. You may have heard about it already from the national board or our state organization, but I think it’s news that is worth repeating. From April 3 to May 15 an online portal will open for members to cast their votes in favor of a bylaw change that will promote inclusivity and eliminate the college degree requirement for AAUW membership. Alongside the AAUW Hawaii board, the AAUW Honolulu board unanimously supports this call to change the bylaws and we urge our members to cast their vote and make their voices count.
Further information on this vote is available through a dedicated AAUW page, as well as a website that is maintained by members in support of the cause. I’ll only add that a brief look at our branch’s history shows that our founders were college graduates who sought to financially support the educational journey of other women. Yet their mission and purpose quickly evolved in the early 1900’s, as they took on the fight to ensure better care for birthing mothers, fair treatment for justice-involved women, and safer conditions for female industrial workers. For over a century, AAUW Honolulu has fought for gender equity in all forms, including education. This is a fight that knows no barriers and this is why we welcome all to join our cause.
Members, it is our responsibility to ensure that AAUW is an organization that truly reflects its mission of gender equity for all. Please take a few minutes to cast your vote when the notification arrives in your inbox.
I look forward to embracing a new future for our organization this spring.
Hope Bennett
President, AAUW Honolulu