April 20, 2021 News Update | Upcoming League Events...
the who, what, where, when, and how to attend LWVLA events
| | Speaking of Democracy
Join the Conversation with the LWVLA Book Club
Monday, April 26
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Culture Warlords:
My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy
by Talia Levin | | | Talia Lavin is every skinhead’s worst nightmare: a loud and unapologetic Jewish woman, acerbic, smart, and profoundly antiracist, with the investigative chops to expose the tactics and ideologies of online hatemongers. Culture Warlords is the story of how Lavin, a frequent target of extremist trolls (including those at Fox News), dove into a byzantine online culture of hate and learned the intricacies of how white supremacy proliferates online.
| | LWVLA Film Discussion
Netflix Documentary Series
Amend: The Fight for America
Parts 1-3: Wednesday, April 28
6:30 PM
| | | Join us to share ideas about a little discussed but very influential Amendment, the 14th, which outlines the rights of citizens under the equal protection of the law.
Netflix has an excellent six part series entitled Amend: The Fight for America that explores the impacts of the 14th Amendment and how it’s affected everything from slavery to immigration, women’s voting rights and gay marriage. Will Smith is the series host.
On April 28, our first movie discussion event will cover episodes 1-3 which describe the Black struggle for equality. And then on May 13, we will discuss episodes 4-6, which deal with sexism, gay marriage and immigration.
If you don’t have Netflix, find a friend who does and have a movie night or two--then join us.
| People-Powered Action for Fair Maps
Film Screening: May 2 - 5
Panel Discussion: May 5
Mark your calendars! In recognition of the LWV's People-Powered Day of Action, the LWVLA and the AAUW will co-host a public education campaign and volunteer recruitment event tied to the screening of "Can You Hear Us Now?", a documentary filmed in Wisconsin about the partisan redistricting process following the 2010 Census and its impact. | |
Small-town activism.
Nail-biting elections.
A last-minute power grab.
| | | In Wisconsin, voters are finding their lives increasingly irrelevant to state lawmakers. Through the stories of four tireless women fighting to have their voices heard, "Can You Hear Us Now?" unravels the ways that years of one-party control have reshaped democracy in a state in the crosshairs of American politics.
Details of this event are still pending. We will continue to add information to the event page on our website including a link to the free film screening, registration information for the panel discussion, and the names of the panelists.
|  | Join Us for Our 97th Annual Meeting
When: May 17 at 6:30
What: Celebrate the year that was and the year to be!
Vote on changes to your League.
Who: All members are invited as well as special guest, Nikki Elsen, City of La Crosse Clerk.
Why: After this year, we deserve recognition and a party!
How: Register on our website and join us via Zoom.
Review the voting materials that were sent to you.
Join us May 17 at 6:30 with your party hat on!
| Get Involved...
opportunities to volunteer or to join one of our teams--
help us defend democracy and empower voters.
| 2021 Redistricting Campaign in Congressional District-3
2021 is the redistricting year! This is the year that Wisconsin must fix the gerrymandered Wisconsin Assembly and Senate district maps, along with U.S. Congressional districts.
As part of the People’s Maps Commission’s (PMC) work, Wisconsinites will have an opportunity to create maps that represent our communities. Public hearings have been completed. Now the PMC is beginning to gather maps from Wisconsinites. While they wait to get data from the Census Bureau at the end of September 2021, they are engaging volunteers all around the state in drawing community maps that can be used to create draft electoral districts.
Community maps are created by community members -- without any specific rules regarding how those communities must be drawn in terms of population numbers, county splits, and so forth. The idea is simply to have communities tell their own stories, and draw lines around the area that they consider their community, where they share values, culture, traditions, concerns, and lifestyles. Let our voices be heard through Fair Maps. | Fair Maps Coalition Working Group
Volunteers Welcome!
The Fair Maps Coalition (LWV WI is a member) is working to grow regional volunteer teams committed to the redistricting campaign in 2021. A working group of Fair Maps Coalition volunteers from the southern counties of Congressional District 3 (La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon Counties with connections to Crawford County) are meeting monthly via Zoom. They are inviting additional team members!! Please spread the word. | People's Maps Commission: Train the Trainer Event
Mapping Help Wanted:
- League members (or anyone committed to Fair Maps) living in the Coulee Region to learn the DistrictR software program.
- League members to organize and facilitate community conversations to draw communities of interest maps.
| If you are interested or can recommend volunteers who would enjoy becoming
a member of the Fair Maps Working Group
or drawing maps send a note to
| For Your Consideration...
local events, virtual events, viewing and reading suggestions that reflect the League's mission and priorities. Please send us your recommendations. | | Fixing Politics:
A Solution For Voters
Presenter: Katherine Gehl
Moderator: Rusty Cunningham
| | |
On April 14, Katherine Gehl, presented a program on Final Five Voting, an innovative approach to congressional elections currently proposed in a bill with bipartisan support in the WI State Assembly and Senate.
A link to a recording of this event and additional resources related to Final Five Voting are available on our website.
|  |
Building Effective Hate-Bias Response Efforts and Processes:
Creating an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Part 1: April 22
11:30-1 pm
Amanda Florence Goodenough
2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award Recipient
--Defining and identifying hate & bias
--Understanding the impact of hate/bias and the importance of addressing it
--Grappling with the complexities and current issues surrounding hate/bias
--Exploring ideas and action strategies to create an inclusive organization’s culture
Amanda currently serves as a Team Lead for Social Responsibility Speaks™, LLC, a womxn-owned and BIPOC-centered consulting agency, whose mission is to create a culture of belonging and mattering through a focus on equity, inclusion, and justice.
|  |
Virtual Townhall Event
Sponsored by the YWCA
April 22
2 - 3 PM
In this virtual town hall event, the YWCA USA will convene a panel of trailblazers who have been central to declaring and addressing racism as a public health crisis.
The panel will discuss the connections between racism and public health outcomes, how to implement public health practices to effectively identify and address racial injustice in our communities, and community engagement and public policy strategies to advance racial equity through a public health lens.
|  | | National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Bill Introduced
An important bill was introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature to ensure everyone’s vote for president will count, guaranteeing the presidency to the candidate who wins the most votes nationwide.
Currently, Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes do not go to the national popular vote winner, but to the winner of the popular vote in the state. Votes for the second-place candidate, even in a close race and even if they are for the national popular vote winner, are ignored. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will fix that.
The League of Women Voters believes that the direct popular vote method for electing the president is essential to representative government. Every person’s vote should count equally.
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is excited to invite you to join us in learning about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact on May 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Joining us in this discussion is Eileen Reavey, the grassroots director for the nonprofit organization, National Popular Vote; Representative Gary Hebl, who will discuss the bill’s progress in the Wisconsin Legislature; and Dr. Barbara Klein, who will tell us about the history of LWVUS' support of the National Popular Vote and the work of its task force.
You can register for this event here.
| Help us defend democracy and empower voters.
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website: lwvlacrosse.org
email: lwvlawi@gmail.com
PO Box 363
La Crosse, WI 54602
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