AAUW Springfield Illinois Branch

Snow in Springfield, and I just heard thunder!
My gazebo, closed for the season while the garden renews itself in sleep. .

Always a woman behind great ideas!

This Thanksgiving, take a little time to remember Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who helped make this national day of thanks possible. Native American harvest festivals had taken place for centuries in North America, and there had long been colonists’ services to give thanks, but there had never been a Thanksgiving holiday.

Throughout her time as an editor, Hale had written hundreds of letters to governors, ministers, newspaper editors, and every U.S. president with one request: that the last Thursday in November be set aside to “offer to God our tribute of joy and gratitude for the blessings of the year.”

In 1863, with the country torn by the Civil War, Hale’s campaign finally got people’s attention. That September, she put her Thanksgiving message into an editorial and wrote to President Abraham Lincoln, urging him to make Thanksgiving Day a fixed national festival.

Lincoln liked Hale’s idea. On October 3, 1863, he issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November to be National Thanksgiving Day, and ordered all government offices in Washington to close on that day.

Learn more! Almanac.com/sarah-josepha-hale-godmother-thanksgiving

Quick Action
Tell your Congressional Rep to Support SNAP and affordable healthcare. Many college students depend on SNAP.

Students & Families Can't Wait: Ask Congress to Pass Funding Today Tell your members of Congress that students & families deserve stability.

TAKE ACTION

We need your voice right now. The U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule that would put countless nonprofit organizations – and the communities they serve – at risk.
This rule gives officials sweeping, vague authority to decide which nonprofits are “worthy” of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. That power could be weaponized to punish nonprofits and their employees for doing work some political leaders dislike. Staff could even lose forgiveness after years of payments—a broken promise that would devastate families and discourage future public service.
We cannot allow PSLF to become a political weapon.
When nonprofits lose staff, communities lose access to lifelines like education, health care, legal aid, housing, and social services that keep us safe and healthy. Rural communities and low-income neighborhoods – which are already facing shortages – will be hit hardest.
Speak out and share your story by the September 17 deadline.

Click below to take action:

Defend Nonprofits: Submit a Comment Urge the Department of Education to withdraw the PSLF rule.

🍁 ☕️ Fall Coffee ☕️🍁
Saturday, August 23, 9:30am
Trutter Center, LLCC

SEE YOU THERE!!
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

When asking AI what salaries to request when applying for jobs, in most instances, women were advised to ask for lower base salaries than their male counterparts.

Bias alert: LLMs suggest women seek lower salaries than men in job interviews Asking a chatbot for advice when negotiating a salary could turn around and bite you, researchers found.

https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-college-governance-dei-635834c9e09e4361f319257ab9fa3724

Far beyond Harvard, conservative efforts to reshape higher education are gaining steam Far beyond Harvard University and its standoff with the Trump administration, Republican officials in several states have been pushing for changes at public universities.

We will continue to show up — loud, proud, and unrelenting in the fight for our civil rights and our democracy.
It’s time for
Keep sharing your photos from yesterday’s Day of Action — we’re inspired by every one of you. ✊🏽

It’s time for Good Trouble — and that means action. Today, July 17, we’re calling on you to demand that lawmakers protect our freedom to vote.
✍️ Tell the Senate to reject the dangerous SAVE Act and defend voting rights: https://aauw.quorum.us/campaign/110677/
📍 Find an event near you and make your voice heard: https://goodtroubleliveson.org/

July 15, 2025

WASHINGTON, D. C. — The American Association of University Women (AAUW), the leading organization for gender equity in higher education, responded to the U.S. Supreme Court granting a request from the Trump Administration to proceed with a reduction‑in‑force affecting nearly 1,400 employees.

The following is a statement from Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW’s Chief Executive Officer:

“Secretary McMahon’s claim that these layoffs ‘will not directly’ harm students and families is flatly false. These mass layoffs, the wholesale dismissal of thousands of civil rights complaints, the withholding of billions in federal funding, and the chaos imposed on borrowers are not mere administrative errors—they are deliberate tactics that threaten educational equity, student safety, and financial security.”

We are already witnessing direct impacts on students:

Civil rights enforcement crippled: The Office for Civil Rights dismissed 3,424 complaints between March 11 and June 27, shutting the door on investigations into discrimination across race, disability, s*x, and national origin.
Borrowers in chaos: Uncertainty over which agency will manage federal loan portfolios, coupled with servicers pausing the tracking of loan‑forgiveness payments, has left millions of students unable to verify their progress toward relief
Critical programs cut off: The Department has withheld nearly $6.8 billion in formula funding—jeopardizing English learner services, after‑school programs, and special education supports that students rely on to succeed.

All of these actions are a betrayal to our students, and AAUW will continue to fight to restore and defend their rights.

# # #





Meghan Kissell, MSW (she/her)

Senior Director, Policy & Member Advocacy

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

1310 L St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005

(O) 202-728-3300 | (C) 571-643-3526

www.aauw.org |Facebook | Instagram

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🤝 Support your sisters hit by federal job loss—and send love to those targeted by the attack on DEI. 💛
✨ Amplify their voices
🏢 Send job leads and job offers
💪 Support businesses and policymakers who support diversity, equity, and inclusion for all
📣 Call for fair hiring and promotion, fair workplace protections, and affirmative opportunity

We rise by lifting each other.