BULLETIN. March MEETING. March 15, Women s History Forum Are we there yet?

Transcription

1 From the President BULLETIN League League Women Women Voters Voters Henderson Henderson County County March MEETING March 15, 2012 Women s History Forum Are we there yet? join us for a lively and informative discussion on the evolving role women in politics. We ll show a short film that illustrates where we ve been and where we want to go. Yes, maybe we ve come a long way, but WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT THERE just yet. To guide us on our way, Roberta Madden, from Black Mountain and our own Nancy Glowacki, will bring us up to date on the North Carolina effort to finally pass the ERA. Join us to celebrate WOMEN S HISTORY MONTH 3:00-5:00 PM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETING ROOM Just when we thought it was all over, women won the right to vote, women had equal rights to education, and finally, women had the right to hold fice and own businesses. Just when we thought we were there, we see discrimination as inequitable access to health care becomes a political ploy for votes. We see double standards for men and women in the workplace and we DON T see the Equal Pay for Equal Work we heard we were going to get. Come to our March Meeting and hear about the past, present and future Women s History. Can we get the ERA finally passed? Are We There Yet? I want to call your attention to the article in this bulletin about Amendment One. The LWVHC Board thought that our membership should read the Pros and Cons this NC Constitutional change as it will be on the Primary Ballot on May 8. This material was prepared by Nelda Holder the Asheville-Buncombe League for LWVNC to take a position. We welcome Your Opinion as we prepare for the election cycle. Looking forward, Judy Katz Leadership President Judy Katz V. Pres. Iris Vanek Sec y Helen Wright Treas. Stan Kumor judykatz4625@gmail.com irisvanek10@gmail.com hlwright@bellsouth.net kumorsm@morrisbb.net LWV Bulletin 1 March 2012

2 LWVHC Calendar March 8 Observer Corps 15 General Mtg. - Woman s History 20 Immigration Forum, Part I, 6:30 BRCC 27 Immigration Forum, Part II, 6:30 PM April 12 Observer Corps 19 General Meeting - Earth Day Forum TBA Candidate Forums Fact or Fiction Check political information FactCheck.org PolitiFact.com opensecrets.org snopes.com OBSERVER CORPS At the last Observer Corps meeting in November, Tricia Minnick, who observes the Fletcher Town Council meetings, was describing how upset the members were when they learned they had lost the soccer fields park.!sharon Burlingame then shared her observations the HC Board Commissioner Meetings involvement when Joan McFadden came in right out the Flat Rock Town Council Meeting and proceeded to tell us how much most the residents who spoke at the meeting didn"t want the soccer fields park in Flat Rock. We did get the whole picture and as today that whole picture is still that we have no new soccer fields in Henderson County.!Stay tuned, the soccer fields park is not dead yet. If you want to partner with Tricia, Joan, or Sharon, please contact Linda Miller at Our next Observer Corps lunch-meeting will be Thursday, March 8th, 11:00 to 1:00 p.m., at Daddy D"s on 7th Avenue across the street from the Hendersonville Historic Train Station.!Please join us for good food and some interesting discussions what"s happening in Henderson County. See you there!! WE WERE THERE at the Dialogue on Race Forum at the Blue Ridge Health Center where 150 people from across this community heard the stories our culturally diverse panel. WE WERE THERE at the Asheville League's Forum on the water system and the possible changes in Asheville and Hendersonville and WE WERE THERE at the Public Hearing at the Ag Center where local citizens and ficials reacted to the State Committee's alternatives for water management. WE WERE THERE at School Board meetings where the parents Bruce Drysdale and Hendersonville Elementary schools tried to effect a plan. WE WERE THERE at County Commission and City Council meetings.!and that was only February!! WHERE WERE YOU? LWV Bulletin 2 March 2012

3 Immigration Study Committee Immigration Forums, March 20 and March 27, 6:30 PM - 8 PM The League in partnership with the Henderson County Immigration Network whose members include The League Women Voters Henderson County, Interfaith Ministerial Association; El Centro, Cuatros Amigos; NC Cooperative Extension Agency; Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church; St. James Episcopal Church; Unitarian Universalists Fellowship Hendersonville; Human Relations Council Henderson County; North Carolina Farm Bureau; Mountain BizWorks; Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Agudas Israel Congregation will be presenting forums with the focus primarily on the need for laborers to secure the agriculture industry Henderson County and the nation. Three speakers will engage the audience each the two evenings. On March 20, Anthony Owens, owner Windy Ridge Farms, will give the current status the H2A and H2B programs, quotas and systems as now structured and WHY the current system is not working. Danny McConnell, President the Agri-Business Board Henderson County, will speak to the economics agriculture, its importance to Henderson County, and the need for laborers; Larry Wooten, President North Carolina Farm Bureau, will focus on the economic value agriculture to the State, and the element food safety if more food production is taken to other countries. On March 27, three other panelists will present facets the topic, Undocumented Immigrants: Dispelling Myths and Finding Solutions. Jamie Beasley, Latino Program Director with Mountain BIZWorks, will dispel three myths the public ten has about newcomers, especially Latinos. Bert Lemkes, General Manager VanWindgerden, will speak to the solutions to solve the H2A and H2B program, and Cynthia Aziz, Immigration lawyer, certified Specialist in immigration law and nationality law will wrap up this session debunking several misunderstandings and myths the general public continues to perpetuate that are misleading and erroneous. Written questions will be taken from the audience at each session. Both sessions will be held at Patton Auditorium on the campus BRCC. Instant interpretation will be provided. Blue Ridge Community College Community Enrichment is co-sponsoring these forums in partnership with the Immigration Network Henderson County. Immigration Study Committee League presentations on immigration are Tuesday, March 6 at 6:30 PM Brevard Library Tuesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM, Brevard Branch AAUW, College Walk New League members are invited and encouraged to attend one these meetings to learn the League s study and position on Immigration LWV Bulletin 3 March 2012

4 FEBRUARY MEETING REVIEW The first step in creating a Henderson County Dialogue on Race appears to have been successful on at least three levels. First, about 150 people attended the February League meeting and 60+ signed up to continue with the four weekly discussion groups!!secondly, we have received calls and notes gratitude and positive response to the event. And thirdly, awareness was increased in our county and several additional people added their names to the participants list!!thanks to the panelists for their courage in sharing their personal stories...jose Trejos, Yolanda Bopp, Melinda Lowrance, Harry Wilson, Frank Wilson, Ron Edmunstone, and Bill and Barbara Garrison.!!!Presently, the Dialogue steering committee is using the list to create small, equally diverse groups race, sex, and age with diverse facilitators as well.!in the weeks ahead as groups and meeting times and places are finalized, we will establish the curriculum discussing White Privilege, Institutionalized Racism, HC issues and action intentions and get under way in late March.!!!Thanks to the support League in launching this community project, a project that we hope will continue to have a community life its own with ongoing citizen communication and involvement.!thanks to the committee Joe Robustelli, Josh Bledsoe, Melinda Lowrance, Yolanda Bopp, Suzy Camp-Goodman, Wendell Holland, Daniel Benavides, Jose Trejos, and Nancy Glowacki. All members look forward to continue steering this process. A great presentation by the LWV Diversity in Action Committee. Great speakers! Panelists spoke on their personal experiences regarding racial discrimination issues in Henderson County LWV Bulletin 4 March 2012

5 INTRODUCTION On May 8, 2012, voters in North Carolina will decide whether to amend the North Carolina Constitution by voting FOR or AGAINST the following: "Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." The wording on the statewide ballot is the result Session Law /Senate Bill 514, passed during the 2011 session the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill was originally vetoed by the governor, but that veto was overridden, resulting in the ballot decision coming before the people North Carolina. The full wording the bill, which does not appear on the ballot, is as follows: Article 14 the North Carolina Constitution is amended by adding the following new section: Sec. 6. Marriage. Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights private parties pursuant to such contracts" In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a national "Defense Marriage Act" (DOMA) that has two sections one defining declaring that "for purposes federal law, marriage means a legal union between a man and a woman," marriage as only the legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and a second section reaffirming the right states to make their own decisions about marriage. According to Jessica Jones, LWVUS Grassroots Advocacy Manager, the LWVUS opposed the federal Defense Marriage Act and In Impact on Issues, p. 59, Col. 1, last paragraph under Equality Opportunity we outline the League s opposition to DOMA. That opposition is based on the League s national social policy, which supports securing equal rights and equal opportunity for all. The following actions are noted on p. 59: In 2004 and 2006, the League opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would permanently write discrimination into the United States Constitution by limiting fundamental protections such as health care benefits for same-sex partners. Here is fered pro/con arguments regarding Amendment 1 on the ballot in North Carolina. PRO Current law in the state North Carolina prohibits same-sex marriage. Arguments in favor changing the status the state s marriage definition to a constitutional provision include the following: - Marriage has traditionally been defined in the state legally and through many traditional religious practices as a union between a man and woman.! Transferring the legal definition/status marriage to the Constitution takes it beyond the realm simple General Assembly legislation, where changes could be much more easily effected.! Constitutional status would also provide more protection from judicial challenges than would simple state law.! A constitutional amendment would better represent the will the people the state, as opposed to the will a partisan Legislature. LWV Bulletin 5 March 2012 CON

6 CON Passage Amendment One would place a discriminatory social policy into the Constitution the state.! The amendment removes the power governmental entities in the state to fer same-sex domestic-partner benefits canceling those provisions that have already passed in the municipalities Asheville, Durham, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and the counties Durham, Orange, and Mecklenburg.! Despite wording added to the law promulgating Amendment One that fers private contracts an exemption to its provision regarding benefits, the full scope the amendment resulted in numerous business complaints to the Legislature that such an amendment would harm their ability to recruit the best workers if the state is perceived as unwelcoming to same-sex partners.! There are questions as to how or whether untested wording in the amendment which bars domestic legal unions would interfere with child-custody and visitation rights, domestic-violence protections, and the status wills, trusts and end--life directives for same-sex partners.! It is unknown if such legal problems would also apply to opposite-sex domestic partners who are not legally married. Societal Considerations - This is a period societal change and awareness with respect to the rights same-sex couples and individuals whose gender identity may fall in within the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) categories spectrum. At this point, eight states (Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington)) plus the District Columbia recognize same-sex marriages as legal. Several additional states recognize same-sex civil unions that provide legal protections. - The passage Amendment One would place an additional social burden on GLBT residents and their families particularly young people facing gender-identity questions in light the discrimination and lack equality evidenced by such an amendment. - According to an Elon University poll (September 2011), 56 percent the respondents (residents the state) opposed a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Public Policy Polling (January 2012) found a 56/34 margin in support the amendment, down from 61 percent in favor last September. - Among the societal leadership opposing Amendment One is are the Episcopal Diocese North Carolina, the NC Advocates for Justice, the North Carolina Psychological Association, Alliance for Baptists, Center for Participatory Change, Campaign for Southern Equality, Institute for Southern Studies, Methodist Federation for Social Action-North Carolina Annual Conference, NAACP-NC, National Association Social Workers NC, North Carolina Alliance Black Elected Officials, North Carolina Council Churches, The Freedom Center for Social Justice. What do you think about this important issue? Let us hear from you. Henderson County League P.O. Box 2238 Hendersonville, NC LWV Bulletin 6 March 2012