"Leaders Envisioning the Future"

This was the theme of the 2007 AAUW TX Leadership Conference which was held in Austin this past weekend.

Before we could envision our future, we needed to be clear about who we are now. We accomplished this via a "visit" from our founder, Marion Talbot, and a showing of "Iron Jawed Angel."

Our keynote speaker, futurist Terri Grimm, helped us understand the benefits of envisioning the future and also gave us some tools to help us in that work. A wonderful panel helped us see the importance of envisioning our financial future. In workshops and during round-table discussions, we gained tools to help us envision our future as AAUW leaders. Emmy-award-winning journalist, Jeff Crilley, gave us some tips and techniques on using the media to envision our future. And, Lisa Maatz, AAUW's Director of Public Policy and Governmental Relations, shared the importance that public policy has in our future.

It was an educational, inspirational, and fun-filled weekend and the participants left eager to do the work of AAUW in Texas!

Anniversary of Seneca Falls Convention

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.” These words were not present in the Declaration of Independence; rather, they were written in the Declaration of Sentiments and signed by a number of women leaders, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. This all occurred at what was the first women’s rights conference in the United States, known as the Seneca Falls Convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19 and
20, 1848. On the anniversary of this historic gathering this past weekend, all of us need to celebrate the event and the strides made towards women’s equality. But we also recognize that even today, over 150 years after the convention, the equality that Elizabeth Cady Stanton
spoke of has not been achieved. AAUW urges you to use this anniversary to be an advocate for women and girls, because equity is still an issue.

Never Argue With a Woman

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.

Along comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies, thinking "isn't that obvious?"

"You're in a restricted fishing area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing; I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.

"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment."

"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads; it's likely she can also think.

Is Education Still an Issue?

My nephew sent me some statistics about the number of adults in the US who buy and read books. The data is quoted by Para Publishing, who is quoting Jerrold Jenkins:

--58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
--42% of college graduates never read another book.
--80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
--70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
--57% of new books are not read to completion.
--the average person stops reading a book on page 18.

I find these statistics unconscionable for residents of the so-called "greatest country in the world." Reading helps develop vocabulary, language and writing skills; it opens doors to times and places that we are unable to visit personally; it opens our minds to new ideas; it engages the brain to visualize people and places. If we are not reading, we are an uneducated nation!

We know that equity is still an issue; it appears that education is an issue as well. What are we going to do about it?????