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Date: 9/6/2021
Subject: LWV-Wake Update September 6
From: Cheryl Tung



LWV-Wake Update 9/6/2021

 
ERA inequality rally pic of Elaine and Sherry
Dear ~~first_name~~,
 
Greetings from LWV-Wake. I know we all feel disappointment in missing another Women's Equality Day celebration as COVID certainly continues to wreak havoc on our lives. I received many kind emails from our honorees stating how much they appreciate the work of LWV-Wake and the recognition that we provide the women elected officials of Wake County. I'd like to thank the Women's Equality Day committee for all their hard work in planning this event.

 
Women's Equality Day 
The Women's Equality Day (WED) committee mailed certificates of recognition as well as magnets with the WED image and slogan "Here's Looking at all You Do" to our honorees. In addition, we are working to create a video of the program highlights, including slides with pictures of all our honorees, and a list of our generous event sponsors. The video should be completed in the next couple of weeks and will be posted to our YouTube channel. 
 
Rally for Equality
Thank you to all LWV-Wake members who participated in the Rally for Equality, held on the lawn of the General Assembly on Women's Equality Day. This event was sponsored by the ERA-NC Alliance, of which LWVNC is a member. Special thanks to Wake Leaguers Elaine Okal and Sherry MacQueen for tabling at this event. In addition to hearing from women's equality advocates, attendees enjoyed tossing LWV ERA YES beach balls to each other while chanting. I'm sure all inside the NCGA took notice! 
 
Timely Topics
Registration is open for our September 30th Timely Topics - Working for the Future. Guest speaker Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, PhD will speak about developing actions in the fight against the renewed voter suppression movement.  Please Note: This is now a virtual event. Registration link can be found below. 
 
Healthcare Committee
Check out the new multi-part study Medicaid in North Carolina: Resources that LWV-Wake's Healthcare Committee recently published on our website. Since 2012, individual states have had the option to expand Medicaid coverage to take full advantage of the Affordable Care Act. North Carolina continues to refuse this opportunity for better healthcare coverage for more people. Without Medicaid expansion, thousands of North Carolinians are unable to qualify for Medicaid and unable to pay for health insurance in the ACA Marketplace or elsewhere. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this number has only grown, and the lack of coverage disproportionately affects people of color.
Over the past year, this committee has been exploring the issues surrounding Medicaid Expansion and the resultant impacts on affected populations in North Carolina and elsewhere. Thank you to the Healthcare Committee members who contributed to this important study. 
 
Redistricting Advocacy
Redistricting advocacy efforts continue as the NCGA joint Redistricting Committee seems poised to ignore public comments as well as those from many of its own members regarding criteria and number, timing and locations of its proposed hearing sites. We have responded by: 
  • Issuing a press release calling for changes to be made with regard to public hearings as well as the addition of Wake County to the list of proposed hearing sites,
  • Sending emails to all members of NCGA's Redistricting Committee,
  • Submitting a Letter to the Editor from Laurel Voelker, Redistricting Chair, and
  • Submitting public comments to the NCGA public comment portal.
In addition, a new Action Alert was issued on August 26th that provides updated information and talking points. If you haven't already, please make your voice heard and submit public comments on the online portal as well as participating in the actions described in our Action Alert. 
 
Please Renew Your Membership
Help us fulfill our mission of Defending Democracy and Educating Voters. While your support for the League provides the financial resources to keep the League operational, we also need your VOICE for issues important to North Carolina. Our volunteers work hard to provide our community with much needed information and opportunities for engagement.  Renew your membership and complete your membership profile to take full advantage of membership benefits. 
 
 

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events

  • September 13th 7pm DEI Roundtable - History of the Disability Movement & Ableism. This month's discussion will examine disability stories and steps we can take to embrace all identities. Registration link and preparation materials can be found here. 
  • September 16th 2pm League Lit (Members Only) - Will discuss The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. More details can be found here. 
  • September 30th 5:30pm Timely Topics (Virtual Public Event) - Working for the Future: What to do when 100 years is not enough? Guest speaker will be Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins, PhD. The event will be held virtually via Zoom. Register here.
  • October 7th League 101 10am-12pm - This interactive online session will help members better understand the League's work and how to become more involved. The session is open to any LWV-Wake member but is particularly useful for newer members and members who are interested in becoming more active within the League. More details and registration link here.  


Upcoming LWVNC Events
LWVNC DEI Webinar: Wilmington 1898 Coup d’Etat and Massacre
 
The Coup d’Etat and Massacre of 1898 has left an indelible mark on the city of Wilmington and now our state and nation is discovering our story. Come learn about our history as we share about this horrific event and the impacts still felt today. Dr. Kimberly Cook, PhD, Director of the Racial Justice Collaborative at UNCW, will outline the history and the continuum of change in our community. Cynthia Brown, historian for the St. Stephen AME church, will share her family’s personal story of their experiences during the Massacre and the legacy of her resilient family. Marla Barthen, Co-President of the LWV of the Lower Cape Fear, will discuss our own league history and continuum of change. Registration link is available on the LWVNC website. 

Legislative Update
Redistricting Advocacy
Details of the August 18th House Redistricting Committee meeting and additional info:
  • A list of 10 proposed county sites that included a public hearings schedule for redistricting was released.
  • Wake County, the state's most populous, containing the state's largest school district was excluded from the list.
  • Representative Pricy Harrison submitted proposals for a redistricting schedule and a redistricting process.
  • Committee Chair Senator Ralph Hise suggested there would be a vote on the proposed county sites and public hearing schedule during the week of August 23rd, although there has been no committee meeting scheduled and the committee's leadership has moved forward with the original public hearings schedule. The first hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 8th at 6:00 pm at the Broyhill Center, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Caldwell County. People wishing to speak can sign up here.
  • The full schedule of statewide redistricting hearings can be found here.

North Carolina Budget Update
It doesn't appear that there will be a compromise budget before the end of September. Employee raises and tax cuts seem to be the areas of disagreement as described in this September 1st article. The budget contains many policy provisions, including some that effectively work to strip powers of the NCSBE, and falls short of adequately funding education needs in NC. The League of Women Voters of Wake County, in a recent Letter to the Editor, called on legislators to remove all voting and election policy provisions from the budget. 
 
Some facts and figures about the 2021-2023 NC biennial budget:
  • NCGA leaders have agreed on the total biennial budget – $25.7 billion for fiscal year 2021-22 and $26.7 billion for fiscal year 2022-23, $2.1 billion short of what Governor Cooper proposed.
  • The Senate tax cut proposal calls for completely eliminating state corporate income taxes and reducing the personal income tax rate from 5.25% to 3.99%. The House will reveal their suggested tax cuts this week.
  • There are a number of educational changes included in the House budget proposal. WRAL lists them here.
  • The Senate and House health budgets have several differences. NC Policy Watch describes them here.

Renew membership image for newsletter
Did you receive a membership reminder postcard?
Please renew your membership & create your member profile
 
Most LWV-Wake memberships, unless renewed, expired at the end of July. In an effort to decrease the amount of volunteer work, we transitioned to an easy online renewal process. Once you log in with the credentials that were emailed to you in June, you will be prompted to update your password and renew your membership. If you cannot find your login info, please call Club Express Customer Support Toll-free: (866)HLP-CLUB (457-2582) and they can assist you with logging in for the first time and even help you renew and set up your profile. 
Please note: You CAN pay your membership dues by credit card and you DO NOT need to have a PayPal account to do so. PayPal is the processing company we use to process credit cards and debits. Once you click PayPal, you can enter your credit card information or your bank account info. You can also choose to download the renewal form and mail it with a check. We hope you will continue to support us with your membership in order to receive information about important issues and our educational programs!
 

Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Tung
President