My dear friends,
Like many AAUW members, I love to read a good book. This weekend, I finished The Women by Kristin Hannah, my recent AAUW book sale purchase. It was a powerful book, albeit one that transported me back to the turbulent times of my high school and college days. Not only was the Vietnam War raging, but the roles of women and people of color were undergoing a transformation that is still underway some 50 years later.
“Women can be heroes too” is an important theme repeated throughout the story. This theme recognizes that women can step up and make a difference beyond traditionally assigned gender roles. The combat nurses portrayed in this book regularly display courage and resiliency yet remain compassionate and caring towards the needs of wounded soldiers and wounded Vietnamese villagers. These women form an unbreakable bond of love and support that serves them during the war as well as when they return to a civilian life where their hard work and bravery are not acknowledged.
Although the roles and capabilities of women have expanded greatly over the last 50 years, there is still more work to be done. That is where AAUW comes in. Our advocacy work supports women in a broad range of endeavors and circumstances and empowers women by removing bias in education, fighting for fair pay and economic equity, defending reproductive freedom, and advancing leadership.
In the words of Oprah Winfrey, “[t]he future of life as we know it is being determined by everything we’re doing—and not doing. Now.”
Women before us stepped up to advance equity. How will we step up to preserve past gains and secure equity now and in the future? What are we not doing that needs to be done?
Stepping up, by definition, means getting outside of our comfort zone. One way to step up is to get more involved in AAUW at our St. Paul branch and at the state organization. Working together generates great ideas and delivers better results. And like the nurses in The Women, we personally benefit from the powerful relationships produced by working towards a common goal.
Thank you to everyone who completed the recent member survey and indicated where they would like to get involved. If you didn’t get a chance to complete the survey and want to get involved, contact me directly at president@aauwstpaul.org or reach out to Diane Pike and Sue Greimel who are leading our nomination process.
Another way to step up is to use our voices individually and together to advocate for positions that advance equity for women and girls. Using our voices and making sure that we are heard is a critical way to impact public opinion and provide feedback to our legislators. Collectively, letters and phone calls have an impact. Standing together, as AAUW St. Paul Branch and AAUW MN, we can amplify our voices.
The Women reminds us that we stand on the shoulders of greatness. Honoring them means more than remembering their accomplishments. It also means that we, too, need to blaze trails to advance equity for women and girls.
My best to all,
Sharon Klumpp, AAUW St. Paul President 2024-2026
President@aauwstpaul.org
Posted: 3/10/25