| Colleen Golomski & Gail Sklodowska (lower right pic) - with arts4impact - hosted our ReproWarrior colorful selfie tent at the Milwaukee Hands-Off Rally on April 5th. So energizing to be with 5,000 other like-minded activists. As the organizers of the event are now saying….”We're just getting started!” Join us in our fight. Contact g.sklodowska@lwvmilwaukee.org | |
Long-time LWVMC member LuAnn Bird was one of the featured speakers at the April 5th HANDS OFF rally in downtown Milwaukee. Bird has been an outspoken champion of disability rights and spoke to the crowd about her advocacy.
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April ‘25 Climate Action
Four opportunities for climate involvement or action are scheduled for April. Provided below are 1) dates and 2) links to a) event registration b) information from reputable sources, c) League positions and d) a report back request. If you need guidance, notify l.petering@lwvmilwaukee.org.
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April 14 - Milwaukee County Community, Environment and Economic Development Committee meeting, 9:30 a.m. Courthouse Room 201-B & virtually (TBA). Contact your Supervisor, attend in person, testify you support the Milwaukee County Plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in county operations by 2050, and report back.
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April 16 - Milwaukee County Climate Action Plan 2050 presentation and discussion. 6-7:30 pm, Walnut Way, 2240 N. 17th St., Milwaukee. Attend and report back.
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April 24 - Milwaukee County Board vote on County Climate Plan, Noon, Courthouse Room 200. Attend, hold up a sign in support, and report back.
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April 26 - Rock the Green Event, noon - 3 pm presented by Milwaukee Riverkeeper & the City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office at the Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St., featuring The Zach Pietrini Band. Attend and report back.
Information on Milwaukee City Climate and Equity Plan & the County Climate Action Plan 2050
Information from DNR followed by health effects and costs of natural gas plants …
League positions on Climate Change support curbing greenhouse gas emissions and moving to renewable sources of energy to protect human health and Earth’s ecosystems:
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Photo ID Amendment Passed. Now What?
Now that Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly approved the proposed amendment to the state constitution to require a photo ID for voting, what is the likely impact? While a photo ID requirement has been law for several years, and the majority of the population has easy access to a valid ID, Marquette University researcher John Johnson set out to find the number of eligible voters burdened by the ID requirement.
Johnson summarizes: "WI turnout is really high & growing- more than 94% of adults have a DMV-issued ID. Can't be more precise, regrettably.- Young & poor adults remain less likely to have IDs- all else being =, Black and Asian adults appear slightly more likely to have IDs."
Read Johnson's full article here. |  | | Thank you to the VOTE411 Team!
The election is over and the votes are counted. It’s time to say thank you to the LWVMC team who made the online Voter Guide at VOTE411.org possible for the 2025 Spring Election!
Beth Lueck and Ellen Trytek coordinate the community volunteers who contact municipal and school board clerks to get race and candidate information. The community volunteers this past election were Ann Marie Adsen, Theresa Bellone, Benjamin Carp, Marilyn Finegold, Lisa Fohey, Joan Janus, Pat Jursik, Debbie Kohn, Stacy Mueller, Diana Otterbacher, Deborah Patel, Piper Plummer, Marsha Poulsen, Peggy Serrano, Jane Stoltz, Mary Walz-Chojnacki, Susan Weistrop, Jennifer Williams; Mollie Conrad, Jeanne Beauchamp Hewitt, Mary Sue Kristiansen, Nora Ladwig, Stacy Mueller, Ellen Trytek.
The tech team manages the races and candidates in the Vote411 system. Thank you, Wally Creer (Milwaukee County Municipalities), Sue Leister (Milwaukee County School Districts and Waukesha County Municipalities), and Colleen Barnett (Waukesha County School Boards). Wally also handles requests for information from the Vote411 system and Sue manages the candidate correspondence. Mary Ellen Spicuzza is on leave from the tech team.
Mary Sue Kristiansen leads the Questions Committee leader, working with Mary Geiser and Amy Zimmerman to develop questions for the candidates based on required candidate qualifications and local issues identified by the community volunteers. Judit Schugurensky Gomez translates the candidate questions into Spanish.
Anita Gulotta-Connelly, working with Mary Voelker, leads the work to increase candidate participation. Melissa Klein is the liaison with the social media team. Peg Schrader provides valuable oversight to the Vote411 Team. THANK YOU!!!! | NOW IS THE TIME……
We introduce Jeannette Rankin this week as we continue our series on the suffragists.
Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973). After Montana became the seventh state to grant women’s suffrage in 1916, she ran on a progressive platform to become the first woman to be elected to Congress. “I may be the first woman member of Congress,” she stated, “but I won’t be the last.”
Jeannette was a Republican and entered the House of Representatives in 1917 before the 19th Amendment in 1920. The first woman elected to the Senate was Hattie Caraway from Arkansas in 1932. Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman elected in both chambers of Congress; she first entered the House of Representative in 1940, before her election into the Senate in 1948.
Currently, as of January 3, 2025, there are 125 women in the U.S. House of Representatives, making women 28.7% of the total. There are currently 26 women serving in the U.S. Senate (out of 100 possible seats).
The website of the Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee states "Although the number of women in the U.S. Congress has reached an all-time high, more women need those roles. If trends continue at the current rate, women will not hold an equal share of seats until the year 2117. We can't wait that long..." (https://womensfundmke.org/) |  | | AmiraThePoet has curated and performed original spoken word pieces at various corporate and nonprofit events across Milwaukee and beyond. Her poetry serves as both a medium for creative expression and a tool for community engagement, aligning with her mission to inspire, educate, and uplift through the art of spoken word. Amira’s dedication to community service and the arts reflects her passion for fostering positive change and building solidarity within her community.
We are pleased to announce Amira will present an original poem at our Annual Meeting on May 31.
| | | JOIN THE SILENT AUCTION TEAM!
Volunteers are still needed to help with the Silent Auction we will be having during our May 31st Annual Meeting. Please consider joining the Silent Auction Team.
Team members will:
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Solicit donations from area businesses and organizations
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Accept and catalog donations at the office
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Prepare donations for display at the event
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Create descriptions of the donations for display with the items and for handout information
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Transport and unload auction items to and from the office on the day of the event
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Set up the auction items: decorate the tables and arrange the display of the auction items
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Assist auction buyers at the event: collect cash and checks and help with bagging up purchases
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Assist with the cleanup after the auction is over
If you can be part of this effort, please click the button below to volunteer as soon as possible! Please contact me directly with questions at my personal email address of eharrisce@aol.com. Thank you!
Elizabeth Harris-Hodge
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Dr. Emily Sterk joined the Milwaukee Turners as a Research and Advocacy Associate in September 2024. She has worked in various learning environments, including national and international universities, correctional facilities, youth detention centers, and adult education centers. As part of the “Confronting Mass Incarceration” team, Emily develops and contributes to the Milwaukee Turners’ expanding expertise in mass incarceration policy and creates research-informed programs for system-impacted individuals. Emily joined the League of Women Voters in the fall of 2024.
Join us for short presentations followed by discussion of how interested League members can advocate for change in our community!
Click here to register! | MONEY MATTERS
Donor Advised Funds
Thank you, member and non-member donors who contribute to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, with gifts from your Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). Your gifts are very much appreciated!!
Do you have a donor advised fund (DAF)? If you do, please consider the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County when making decisions on your charitable gifts. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, LWVMC can receive donations from donor advised funds (DAFs). To be sure your donation goes to our local League, rather than the national organization, please include our tax ID number: EIN 39-6096750.
What is a donor advised fund (DAF)?
A donor advised fund is a giving account established at a 503(c)(3) charity that serves as a “sponsoring organization” to manage and administer your DAF account.
How does a donor advised fund (DAF) work?
1. GIVE
You (the donor) make an irrevocable contribution to your DAF fund and can take an immediate tax deduction.
2. GROW
The assets in the DAF may be invested by the sponsoring organization and may grow. Any investment growth is tax-free for you, the donor.
3. GRANT
You (the donor) advise the sponsoring organization to make grants to other 501 (c)(3) charities.
Does the concept of a donor-advised fund (DAF) appeal to you?
If you don’t have a DAF, talk with your financial advisor about whether it would be a fit with your financial and charitable giving goals. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF) and the Waukesha County Community Foundation are among local foundations that act as sponsoring organizations for donor advised funds. |  | | Mark Your Calendars!
Day Without Immigrants & Workers
Thursday, May 1, 9:30am
Join Voces de la Frontera and the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County as we come together in a powerful demonstration of our collective strength to:
Immigration reform with a path to citizenship now!
Meet at Voces de la Frontera, 733 W. Mitchell and march to the Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin.
Wear your League T-shirt, bring your nonpartisan signs (no political parties mentioned or political candidate endorsements) and let's march together. Contact d.spars@lwvmilwaukee.org to arrange a meeting point and for more information. |  | | April is National Volunteer Month, and a perfect time to celebrate our member volunteers. Thank you for everything you do as a volunteer and member of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County. Our combined efforts in service to our commitment to educate and empower voters make a difference. This is the way to defend democracy!
| | Our next meeting is on April 25 at 10:00 a.m. at the East Side Library, 2320 N. Cramer St. (There is parking behind, turn in through an archway). We alternate a “specific book” meeting with a “general discussion” meeting . April is general discussion and in May we will be discussing the book, "How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery in America”, by Clint Smith.
Because of Memorial Day, the May meeting will be on the 5th Friday, May 30. Even if one doesn’t read the book, our discussions are always interesting and it’s a great way to meet other League members. We are reserved at the East Side Library for May as well.
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Invite Your Friends and LWV Members to Join Our Virtual Lunch and Learn:
MICAH’s Health Equity Organizer : Diannia Merriett-Alabi
Tuesday, April 15th | 12:00 PM
Diannia Merriett-Alabi has worked in education for over 20 years. Her teaching philosophy has always been that kids learn best when they feel welcomed, valued, and safe. Diannia was born and raised in Milwaukee. She is the proud parent of one daughter and one granddaughter.
Diannia has been very active in amplifying the voice of marginalized people. In college she was the president of the Black student union. Diannia works to challenge and dismantle racism, and other forms of injustice in Milwaukee County and beyond in its community systems. She is the founder of “People Advocating Greendale Equity”.
Zoom Link Meeting ID: 898 7075 0195 Passcode: 110973 |  |  | | UW-Madison Elections Research Center
April 24, 1:15- 5 pm., In-person or virtual
The Fragility and Performance of Democracy in the U.S.:Taking Stock After the First 100 Days of the Trump Administration will explore the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. Intense partisanship, public distrust in institutions, and concerns about government accountability have raised doubts about the sustainability of U.S. democracy. At the 100 day mark of the Trump presidency, this event evaluates both the current situation and the overall health of the American political system.
Hear scholars share their insights on the new politicization of the administrative state, presidential messaging, and the state of democracy and governance in America.
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Accessing Members-Only Resources on the LWVMC Website
The website contains resources for members-only. Members must be logged in to see this information.
| Support Local Democracy. Support Your League.
Your support is critical to help our nonpartisan grassroots organization reach voters play a critical role in democracy. It would not be possible to empower voters and defend democracy without your support.
Thank you! LWVMC
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