Proposal to Amend AAUW Bylaws
This spring, the AAUW membership will vote on an important proposal to open membership and eliminate the degree requirement to join AAUW. To learn more about the proposed changes , please visit the election page on on the AAUW website.
Letter from the AAUW Board:
Dear State and Branch Presidents,
A recent article in the Washington Post’s The Lily, an online publication on gender equity, raised some important questions about racism in women’s organizations, including AAUW. As an organization that is almost 140 years old, AAUW has a lot of work to do to address the structural racism that pervades our society.
On behalf of the AAUW board, we are committed to continuing our own growth, while leading AAUW to become more equitable and inclusive.
At the same time, we want to remind you of the progress we’ve made together in the following areas:
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Among our 2019-20 AAUW Fellows and grantees, 66% are women of color. Our largest and oldest program has funded more than 13,000 women to pursue graduate school education, many of whom are luminaries in studies of gender, race and intersectionality.
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Our Work Smart and Start Smart salary negotiation programs also serve diverse audiences. We have a wide range of partners and programs, including a robust career initiative with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students, faculty and alumni, thanks to our Coca-Cola Foundation support.
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Fifty-two percent of our staff and 30% of our leadership are people of color. Our member-elected national board has three women of color currently. AAUW places great value in having diverse perspectives in prioritizing our projects.
Yet there is more we must do. That’s why I’m challenging you to reflect on what you can do as AAUW members — individually and collectively — to make a difference. For example, you have the power to reimagine what it means to be an AAUW member, beginning with our educational degree requirement. As we strive to be inclusive of all women’s lives and experiences, the time has more than come to let go of this unnecessary prerequisite while continuing to embrace education as a central and lasting part of our mission.
It’s not enough for AAUW to denounce racism; we must take real, sustained and measurable actions to be the change we want to see in the world. And I know we all want a world where every voice is heard and every person is valued.
Sincerely,
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Julia T. Brown, Esq.
Board Chair
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