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.
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