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League of Women Voters Newton

Making Democracy Work

League of Women Voters MA: League Day on the Hill – Lobby Day October 17th

Day on the Hill “Time to Act,” Thursday, Oct. 17th.   We will meet in Room 428 at the State House. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the program runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

Key Information:

  • Senator Karen Spilka, the president of the Senate, is our keynote speaker. You’ll also hear from legislative specialists on our legislative priorities—Election Day registration, climate crisis, education funding and reproductive rights.
  • At 12:00 noon LWVN members will meet with our Newton legislators:  Senator Cynthia Creem, Representatives Ruth Balser, Kay Khan, and John Lawn (pending their availability that day)  and have a light lunch.  This gives us an opportunity for an informal conversation with our legislative representatives.

 

By October 14th, please let us know if you are coming and staying for lunch with our legislators by sending an email to  voterservice@lwvnewton.org

 

 

 

The LWVMA and the LWVN would like a strong turnout!

 

LWVN Co-Sponsored Event: Barbara Berenson.  The event, “After Suffrage: A 20/20 Perspective on Women’s Rights, 1920 –2020

 On, Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 7:00pm, the League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN) will be co-sponsoring a Newton Free Library event, together with Historic Newton and the Newton Human Rights Commission, to be hosted by author and guest Barbara Berenson.  The event, “After Suffrage: A 20/20 Perspective on Women’s Rights, 1920 – 2020”  is a talk that will explore how women have fared politically and legally over the past century; consider how women activists have built alliances and shaped laws in an effort to combat stereotypes, discrimination and gender-based violence at home, at work and in the public sphere; review some of the key developments over the past century including a discussion of the long and ongoing campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment ; and discuss the historical connections between women who opposed suffrage and those who oppose women’s rights today.

Barbara Berenson is the author of Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers (2018), Boston in the Civil War: Hub of the Second Revolution (2014) and Walking Tours of Civil War Boston: Hub of Abolitionism (2011, 2d ed. 2014). She is the co-editor of Breaking Barriers: The Unfinished Story of Women Lawyers and Judges in Massachusetts (2012).

For more information call the Newton Free Library at 617-796-1360. All programs are free and open to the public, parking is free. The Newton Free Library is an accessible facility.

 

SAVE THE DATE:  If you can’t make the event at the library to hear Barbara Berenson speak,  come join the League of Women Voters of Newton for an informal book group discussion, with Barbara Berenson, of her book,  Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers, on Sunday, December 1, 2019 [to be confirmed: at the Waban Library Center.]

 

Copies of her book are available at the Newton Free Library

League Leaders Topic Meetings – Upcoming & Open to the public

Brookline League – Defending Voting Rights is the Past Prologue?   Tina Cassidy [Brookline author of  Mr. President, How Long Must we Wait?, The battle to win passage & ratification of the 19th amendment and voting rights for women ] and former Newton resident, Historian Greer Hardiwicke. When & Where:  Wednesday October 16th 6:30 for refreshments & 7:00 the program begins at the Brookline town Hall, Select Board Meeting room on the 6th floor.

Cape Cod Area League – Immigration Information:  Four Short Films [Immigration Enforcement, Detention, Deportation, & DACA/TPS] presented by Mark Gabriele, Cape Cod Coalition for Safe Communities.  When & Where:  Saturday October 19th at 10:30 am  at the Zion Union Heritage Museum, 275 North Street, Hyannis MA.

Harvard League – Mr. President, How Long Must we Wait?, The battle to win passage & ratification of the 19th amendment and voting rights for women  Moderated by Charlie Sennott, veteran journalist and foreign correspondent.  When & Where:  Sunday, October 20th 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Fivesparks (formerly known as the Harvard Cultural Collaborative), 7 Fairbanks Street, Harvard MA

Needham League – is bringing the musical “We Did It For You! Women’s Journey Through History”, to Needham’s historic Town Hall, for a special matinee performance on Sunday November 3rd at 3:00 pm.  For Information & Tickets, please use this link.

 

 

 

 

 

TOPIC MEETING: Middlesex Sheriff, Peter J. Koutoujian

On, Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 7:00pm, the League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN) will host a community discussion led by Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian.  Sheriff Koutoujian will talk about the work of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, partnerships with local law enforcement and efforts to address the needs of justice-involved individuals with substance use and mental health disorders.  He’ll also discuss innovative programs for incarcerated military veterans and young adult offenders. This topic meeting will take place at Angier Elementary School in Newton, at 1697 Beacon Street, Waban, MA 02468.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian

Peter J. Koutoujian has been Middlesex Sheriff since he was sworn in by former Governor Deval Patrick on January 21, 2011.  In February of 2019, Koutoujian was elected as Vice President of Major County Sheriffs of America, representing sheriffs from the most populous counties in the country. Koutoujian currently serves as President of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association, and is a founding member of Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime & Incarceration, a group committed to reducing rates of incarceration. He has also been recognized as a “Champion of Justice Reform” by the Coalition for Public Safety – a national bipartisan collective advancing criminal justice reform.

Prior to serving as sheriff, Koutoujian served as a state legislator holding several leadership positions, including Chairman of the Joint Committee on Financial Services and Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health. Additionally, he chaired the Commonwealth’s OxyContin and Other Drug Abuse Commission created in 2004. A staunch public safety advocate, Koutoujian has also led efforts around victims’ rights and suicide prevention.

A lawyer by trade, Koutoujian served as a Middlesex County prosecutor before being elected to the Massachusetts Legislature. Koutoujian is a graduate of Bridgewater State University, the New England School of Law and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

RSVPs to info@lwvnewton.org are appreciated!

 

LWVN National Voter Registration ”Week”

In honor of National Registration Day on September 24, 2019,  LWVN, the Center for Civic Education, and the City’s Health & Human Services Department participated in a week long effort to inspire civic engagement and voter participation by encouraging high school students to register to vote.

So let’s congratulate and thank Sharyn Roberts for her leadership and the team who worked to register 114 students at both Newton North and Newton South High Schools:

  • Jen Abbott
  • Alicia Bowman
  • Quinn Etchie
  • Beckley Gaudette
  • Diana Fisher Gomberg
  • Stephen Kesselman
  • Alison Montague
  • Claudia Wu

This was a wonderful example of a community collaboration to engage students to become active participants in our democratic and electoral process.

 

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