Data Center Forum This Saturday
From Louise Petering, the League’s Climate Action Group Co-Lead: “The tsunami-like demand for electricity to power hyperscale data centers 24/7/365 threatens Wisconsinite’s pocketbooks and our hard-won improvements in Wisconsin’s overall air quality. Protection of our local communities warrants well-crafted state regulations to prevent negative environmental impacts: reduced water quantity and quality, increased air and noise pollution and heat island effects.”
| Data, Dollars, & Our Health: A Community Earth Month Forum with Tom Content, Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board; Jodi Habush-Sinykin, WI State Senator, District 8; Anne O’Connor, Milwaukee County Supervisor, District 1.
Sat, Apr. 11 - Shorewood - 10am to 12:30pm
| | MEMBER ENGAGEMENT EVENT
SATURDAY, MAY 9
2-4 PM
New member orientation, existing member refresher | | LWVMC ANNUAL MEETING LUNCHEON
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
Details on this important - and fun - event coming soon! | | | |
We are gearing up for the Third Annual Silent Auction to be held at this year’s Annual Meeting on June 6, and are looking for a few people to join our auction team.
| | | Your involvement can include all or just one of the following activities:
- Solicit donations.
- Offer your home as a drop off location for donated items and bring them to the meeting site.
- Work at the auction: Set up the donated items, gather the auction bid sheets and notify the winners, collect payments and distribute the items.
- Send thank you notes to donors.
If you have limited time but want to contribute to the League, this is a great opportunity for you. Your participation will be invaluable in helping us reach our fundraising goal with all proceeds going to support the League’s work empowering voters and defending democracy! Please contact Lorna Grade at l.grade@lwvmilwaukee.org | The Speakers Bureau is growing, and we need LWVMC member volunteers to be SPEAKERS representing the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County in the community:
- To build awareness about who we are and what we do,
- To educate citizens about voting,
- To engage community groups with our mission to empower voters and defend democracy.
Complete the Speaker Interest form here.
or contact Heather Godley at SpeakersBureau@LWVMilwaukee.org for more information. |  |  | | The Reproductive Rights Team invites you to an upcoming book talk and conversation about Black feminist resistance and reproductive justice with two fantastic scholars.
Friday, April 17, 11am to 1pm
Kuumba Juice + Coffee, 274 E Keefe Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
While calling this a “book talk,” and the conversation will stem from Dr. Falu’s book Unseen Flesh: Gynecology and Black Queer Worth-Making in Brazil and Dr. McCormick’s book We Are Pregnant with Freedom: Black Feminist Storytelling for Reproductive Justice, it is absolutely not required that folks read the books in order to attend or partake fully.
This event is sponsored by UWM Center for 21st Century Studies’ Reproductive Justice Working Group to create a space where researchers at UWM and reproductive justice community advocates in Milwaukee can work together to address systemic injustices disproportionately affecting Black, Latinx, and other women and trans people of color.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP to Eventbrite so that we can keep tabs on expected head count. Contact Gail at g.sklodowska@lwvmilwaukee.org for more information. |  | | FUTURE LOCAL CLIMATE EVENTS
April 11, 10:15-12:30am - League event: Data, Dollars, & Our Health: A Community Earth Month Forum - See Flyer at the top of this Update.
Register at lwvmilwaukee.org.
ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY
Nov. 22, 2025 - LWVMC program Addressing Climate Change in Milwaukee County - Find Video and Slides of this informative event HERE. Spread word of this still-relevant information with others. |  |
Milwaukee’s Food Apartheid
“We need justice, not charity. . . . The struggle for food justice is not just about groceries, it’s about power: who has it, who is denied it, and what happens when we build it ourselves.”
-Melody McCurtis, deputy director and lead organizer of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 11/23/25
Community organizations, including Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, the Food Justice Collective, Feeding America and Hunger Task Force, along with many food pantries have stepped up to distribute tens of thousands of grocery and care packages since 2020. But these organizations are looking for long-term solutions that involve residents most impacted by Milwaukee’s food apartheid. In addition to distributing much needed food, community organizations have launched an initiative of community-powered fridges, a mutual aid network for neighbors to share food and hygiene products, community gardens/farms, and a people’s pantry to fill gaps left by broken systems while work is done to transform the systems. The organizations are exploring the creation of community-owned cooperative grocery stores that can provide not just healthy food but also employment and ownership opportunities.
McCurtis further stated in the JS article: “We build, we organize, we feed each other. But we need everyone, individuals, organizations, and elected officials to step, show up, and align their values with action.”
Next week, we will provide ways that individuals and organizations in the community can act to help address the issue of food apartheid. | Medicaid/FoodShare Task Force Action Call
Here is a way to volunteer in your community!
Rooted & Rising Washington Park Food Center Volunteer |  | LGBTQ+ Advocacy: Myth v. Fact
Why Do Anti-LGBTQ+ Messages Increase Before Elections?
As elections approach, attacks on LGBTQ+ people—especially transgender individuals—often increase. This is a wedge issue—easily spread, emotionally charged, and effective at drawing attention. These messages rely on fear and repetition rather than facts, and they are often easier to promote than addressing complex issues that affect everyone—like global conflict, the cost of living, healthcare, and education.
The wedge issues tend to follow a simple pattern:
Simplicity over truth: Complex realities are reduced to slogans that are easy to repeat but often inaccurate.
Fear-based messaging: Claims are framed to feel urgent—especially around children or safety—without full facts or context to support them.
The result is more heat than light—images of fear, not clarity.
In future issues, we will look at how these narratives connect to real-world impacts—including policies affecting schools, public spaces, identification documents, and voting—and what they mean for human rights. We will focus on replacing myths with facts—and providing clarity where there has been confusion.
Series Preview: Myth #1 — There Are Only Two Sexes
One of the most common claims you hear is that there are only two sexes. This is not accurate. Intersex people—those born with natural variations in chromosomes, hormones, or anatomy—have always existed. Medical estimates suggest that about 1–2% of people are intersex. It is also helpful to understand scale: intersex people make up a similar or larger share of the population than transgender people, yet are rarely included in these discussions.Intersex is how the body is built biologically.
For clear, accessible education and lived experience please view the following 2 sites on instagram:
For a more scientific explanation
| To stay informed about legislation affecting the LGBTQ+ community and track advocacy efforts, visit Fair Wisconsin’s Bills to Watch page:
fairwisconsin.com/bills-to-watch
To identify and contact your state legislators and relevant committee members, use MyVote Wisconsin: myvote.wi.gov
Speaking up matters.
LGBTQ+ ... All Letters Matter! | | Tuesday, April 21, 12-1 PM
If you feel called to better understand racism and your own role in dismantling it—but aren’t sure where to begin—WWFR (White Women Facing Racism) offers a supportive, structured space to do this work. Numerous League members have participated in this program and have found it life changing.
Register HERE for this virtual Lunch & Learn session to find out how the program provides an opportunity for white women to discover their own prejudices. Past member attendees will be present.
|  | |
The League of Women Voters Responds to Executive Order
Last week, President Trump issued an executive order on mail-in voting. In response, the League released a statement condemning the action and filed litigation challenging the EO.
At a time when core tenets of our democracy are being tested, we remain guided by the values that have defined our work for more than a century. Elections must be free, fair, and accessible, and voters, not politicians, must be at the center of our system.
The administration’s latest executive order represents a significant shift in how federal power is being wielded over elections, raising serious concerns about federal overreach, voter disenfranchisement, and the safety of election administrators. The League will not accept policies that narrow who can participate in our democracy or undermine the constitutional role of the states.
We have met challenges like this before, and we will do so again through advocacy, education, and litigation when necessary to protect every eligible voter’s right to be heard.
Dianna Wynn
President League of Women Voters
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State of Wisconsin Also Challenges E.O.
Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a lawsuit challenging President Trump's attempt to exert federal control over mail-in ballots and voter rolls.
READ THE FULL STORY→ | |
Another Video from UW-Madison’s Marketing Students
(a collaboration with LWVMC) | | | The link below will take you to one of the videos made by Dr. Azia Jones’ students to encourage high school students in the Milwaukee area to register and vote. What a terrific way for the students to learn about marketing principles and for LWVMC to get resources to share through social media. We will continue to share other student-made videos in future editions of the Update.
Testing in Progress |  | | The VOTE411 online voter guide is the League of Women Voters Education Fund’s tool to educate voters about candidates running for office. It takes an amazing group of volunteers to produce the guide.
Thank you to League members who-
- Serve on the VOTE411 Team.
- Worked as community volunteers to contact municipal and school board clerks to verify races and obtain the names of candidates with their contact information.
- Increased candidate participation by contacting candidates and encouraging them to answer the League’s questions.
- Worked tirelessly to accomplish the publication of the successful Spring 2026 Voter Guide!
- Promote VOTE411 to your friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues.
| |
A statement
about
Salah Sarsour | | | The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County is deeply concerned by the detention of Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Sarsour has been described by supporters as a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for more than three decades, and he is now being held in Indiana.
We are troubled by reports that this detention may be connected to his advocacy for Palestinians in his public speeches. The League supports the right to free expression, due process, and fair treatment under the law for all people, regardless of their political views or background.
We call on our members and all concerned residents to contact their members of Congress and U.S. senators and urge them to demand transparency and accountability.
Peg Schrader, President | What is Fascism? What is Authoritarianism?
We read the terms fascism, authoritarianism and dictatorship, but how are they really defined? A League member has provided us with definitions of forms of government and defining characteristics of fascism. Click on: Governments and scroll down to this banner with links to the information: | | Brookfield Resist
Our next event will be a bridge demonstration across I-94 in the Town of Brookfield on April 11th. The message will be chosen closer to the event. During this event we will likely engage over 10,000 vehicles in 4 hours. Click HERE to learn more and register for a shift. |  | | Save the Date and Join the League
in Support of our Immigrant Neighbors
Demonstration, Walkout and Boycott
Friday, May 1st
10 am Rally at Voces Offices
733 W Historic Mitchell Street
11 am March to the
Federal Building
517 E Wisconsin Ave
Program at the Federal Building
May Day is a powerful demonstration of our solidarity and collective power. Immigrant workers help power the economy, and together we stand to demand respect for our rights, dignity and humanity. We do this by rallying, marching, walking out of work and school and by avoiding shopping.
The League will be represented at May Day. Our Comité por el voto Latino/Latinx voter registration team will have a table at the event. Please meet at the table to march with the League’s banner and show your, and the League’s, support for Milwaukee’s immigrant community.
*This is a rain or shine event. Please dress accordingly!* | Prepare for May Day…or Other Protests
Poster-Making Party
Saturday, April 25, 10:00-Noon
Bay View Library | 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Join us for a creative and community-centered poster-making party in preparation for May Day! Together, we’ll design bold, meaningful posters highlighting workers’ rights, solidarity, and the vital contributions of immigrants in our communities—recognizing that immigrant workers help build, sustain, and enrich our society in countless ways. All are welcome to join this relaxed, creative gathering with art supplies provided; bring your ideas, your voice, and your vision as we create powerful messages like “Workers’ Rights = Immigrant Rights” and “We All Belong” to share at the upcoming May Day rally and march.
Signup Link Coming Soon | Yes! Protest Rallies are Ongoing!
Why do protests matter?
Visible resistance is essential so the government and its supporters see the number of citizens who don’t agree with their actions. Nonviolent visible protest activity encourages those sitting on the sidelines to join in.
Here is the link to the listing of ongoing weekly protests: Protest Rallies |  |  | For You, Your Family and Friends: Send a Message to Your Legislators
Let your legislators know that you expect them to stand up against authoritarianism and support democracy in our country. We have League-branded postcard packets available for you to pick up at members’ locations in West Allis, Milwaukee's East Side or in Wauwatosa. The packets contain postcards addressed to Senators Johnson and Baldwin, Congressperson Moore or Steil and an unaddressed card for whoever you choose. Take the opportunity at a family or friend gathering to complete postcards. The postcards take a standard stamp. Postcard stamps cost a bit less.
Please email Donna Spars at d.spars@lwvmilwaukee.org if you'd like to pick up a postcard packet. Indicate how many packets you'd like, for which Congressperson (Moore or Steil,) and whether you'd like to pick them up in West Allis, Wauwatosa or on the East Side. Then you’ll receive an address for pickup.
Thank you, and please help us spread the message of defending democracy by sharing postcard packets with friends and family. |  | Help Voces de la Frontera Prepare for May Day - the Next Protest!
Voces is looking for volunteers to help make May Day art at this family-friendly event. All materials and supplies are provided. No RSVP is required. | Say thank you to a team member whose efforts went above and beyond this past election season with a tribute gift to the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County. A donation in someone’s honor is a great way to recognize hard work to empower voters and defend democracy.
| The Fund Development Committee will be meeting on Monday evening, April 13th at 6pm via video conference. We will be working on Funding progress for the League through grants and focusing specifically on how we can nurture and celebrate our individual contributors in the coming months. If you are interested in joining the committee or just dropping in to see what it is all about, please contact funddevelopment@lwvmilwaukee.org and we will send you an invitation to the meeting. |  |  | Thursday, April 16, 5:30-7:30pm
Get the latest and most accurate immigration news from the experts. Learn what our rights are and how they can be exercised in our communities. This event is FREE, but to help us plan, registration is encouraged. Bring a friend and enjoy an evening of information & community building. Opportunities to support neighbors in crisis will be available.
Topics will include:
- What’s the forecast for Milwaukee? How is ICE operating in WI right now?
- Know Your Rights: identifying judicial vs. administrative warrants; public vs. private spaces, filming interactions, etc.
- Safely Exercising Your First Amendment Rights
- Constitutional Rights
- Additional Trainings Available in Milwaukee
- How to Help Our Neighbors in Crisis
Event Format
- 5:30 – 6:00 Arrival, Light dinner, Music by DeeJay Pan Fino
- 6:00 – 6:45 Panel Discussion
- 6:45 – 7:00 Q & A
- 7:00 – 7:30 Info fair, Sign-up for action steps, Dessert
Register HERE | So Many Ways to Support Local Democracy and Your League. Thank You! | Is Your Member Profile Up-to-Date?
The Member Portal of our website has resources (including a member directory) just for members. Please login to the website, click Member Resources in the top menu, go to your Member Profile and complete/update your Additional Member Data and Interests (found under Website Functions). Contact roster@lwvmilwaukee.org with questions. Thank you! | Follow us on Social Media! | You have received this message from the mailing list of League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County. If you would prefer not to receive these emails in the future, go to the opt-out page and modify your privacy settings. You can also request to be removed from our database completely. | |