LWV-Wake Update 2/17/2025 | Welcome back to your exclusive, bi-monthly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Wake County. If someone forwarded this to you and you'd like to become a member, just click here.
|  | Dear ~~first_name~~,
February is Black History Month.
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) announced the theme for 2025's Black History Month as "African Americans and Labor." LWV-Wake does not need to go far to see whom to celebrate this Black History Month and Labor: Deborah Ann Turner, LWVUS President from 2022 until her passing on January 28, 2024, was a prime example of greatness in “Americans and Labor," not just "African Americans and Labor."
Deborah M. Turner MD, JD, worked (volunteered) for the League of Women Voters from 2010 until 2024, starting in Iowa. She served as president of the Des Moines Metropolitan League starting in 2011. At the same time, she was a Board Member for the Iowa state League and then co-president of the state League in 2015. “In her dual roles with state and local Leagues, Deborah has provided leadership to strengthen relationships between local leagues and the state Board,” said LWVUS at the time.
In 2016 Dr. Turner was elected to the LWVUS Board of Directors, where she served on the Finance Committee, Governance Committee, and chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She became the President of LWVUS in 2022.
All of this and she practiced and taught gynecologic oncology for 35 years. Read More of the fantastic accomplishments of Dr. Turner.
Dr. Turner was famous for her saying “Just keep on, keeping on." She had many inspirational messages for us. Here is just a bit – on Racial Justice, apropos for our time. "Structural racism touches our lives in many ways, from education to health care, to economics, to policing. The Band-Aid has been ripped off. Now is the moment to heal the egregious wound and not rebind it and hope it will heal itself, out of sight, out of mind. It doesn’t work that way. Trust me. I’m a doctor."
"We must continue to tell the stories of Black women that will inspire the next generation of Black women to seek elected office. We must never forget our history and the tireless work of Black women and allies to advance voting rights, push for change, and continue to shape a more equitable America.”
We can all learn a lot from this self-described, “cornfed kid from Iowa.” May your memory be a blessing to us all, Dr. Turner.
In League,
Helen
| LWVUS Portal & Membership Changes
The new LWVUS Membership Portal was released last Monday, February 3. Unfortunately, some issues have been identified with the data transfer process. As a result, LWVUS paused sending members account verification emails. Verification emails will likely resume in the next week.
As we wait for LWVUS to work through data transfer issues, we are encouraging members to login to the LWVUS Membership Portal directly with the button below to verify your contact information and ensure all is correct. You will not be asked to renew at this time, unless this is your typical renewal month.
Please click the button to verify your membership information. Please reach out to Cheryl Tung if you have any questions.
|  | North Carolina Advocacy
As we witness continued threats to our democracy through voter suppression legislation, the dismantling of our Federal government, and a flagrant disregard for checks and balances, we must stand up and speak out. Here are two bills where you can TAKE ACTION now and encourage elected officials to OPPOSE.
SAVE Act - What is the SAVE Act?
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act was introduced in 2024 but failed to pass in the Senate. It was reintroduced last month. This bill seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and require Americans seeking to register or re-register to vote to present a REAL ID-compliant ID proving U.S. citizenship. There are several concerns pro-democracy organizations, like LWV, have with this bill such as:
Noncitizen voting is already illegal and it adds unnecessary barriers to the registration process by requiring additional documentation that many Americans may not have or be difficult to obtain.
Married women who have changed their last names will also have extra barriers since their birth certificates do not contain their current last name.
Read more here!
We encourage everyone to contact your members of Congress here and oppose the SAVE Act.
NC Advocacy - HB 66 Reducing Early Voting Period
This bill, filed on February 5, shortens the early voting period from 17 to 6 days, including removing Sunday voting. As we know, Sunday voting has been reserved for activities like ‘Souls to the Polls’ in our African-American communities. In addition, the reduction will likely lead to longer lines at the polls and threatens to disenfranchise voters.
Please reach out to your NC House and Senate representatives and tell them to oppose this voter suppression bill.
Find your legislators here
Click below to read House Bill 66
|  | Update: NC Legislative Landscape
Read the latest summary on North Carolina's Legislative 2025-2026 Session from LWVNC's Vice President Marian Lewin.
| Defend 60,000 Voters Today at Raleigh Rally
Hurry and register for your opportunity to say enough is enough! State supreme court candidate Jefferson Griffin continues to harangue the courts to toss 60,000 votes to overturn his election loss.
Nonpartisan and pro-democracy organization Common Cause and other groups are sponsoring a rally today at the NC State Capitol in Raleigh starting at noon to protest this ongoing and non-democratic challenge. Several LWV-Wake members will be in attendance holding our LWV-Wake banner. Please look for us!
Click the button below for more information and to register.
| Join Us for Our February Timely Topics
Join us on Thursday, February 20 at 5:00 p.m. as we welcome North Carolina Department of Commerce Chief Culture & Community Engagement Officer, Betty Marrow-Taylor.
Ms. Marrow-Taylor will explore the impact and importance of initiatives that promote fairness, opportunity, and a sense of belonging in workplaces and communities across North Carolina.
She will highlight the benefits of creating environments where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute, as well as share insights on how we can support engagement efforts to build thriving, inclusive business, organizations, and communities.
Click below to register for this important Timely Topics session on Zoom!
| | Timely Topics Book Discussion
Please join us on Wednesday, March 5, 6:00 p.m. at Mindful Merchant to discuss the book, 'Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World', by Edward Humes.
Click below to register, and to see how this ties into our April Timely Topics speaker event.
| | |  | | March Timely Topics: Current Status of the ERA
The Women’s Rights Committee of LWV of Wake County invites everyone to our Timely Topics event on Monday, March 17 from Noon -1:30 p.m. at the Highland United Methodist Church to discuss the current status of the Equal Rights Amendment.
We will cover the importance of adding this to the constitution of the state of NC, the current status here and nationally, and how to advocate for its passage.
This event is open to the public. Please bring your own lunch (and guests!) to this event.
REGISTER HERE
|  | April Timely Topics: The Effects of Plastics on Human Health
Join us as our Environment Committee host's Timely Topics on Tuesday, April 22 from Noon -1:30 p.m. at Highland United Methodist Church.
Guest speakers will present, "Plasticized! The Plastics in Our Bodies and Their Effect on Our Health." This event is open to the public.
Mindful Merchants will also be there and have plastic alternative wares available for purchase.
Bring your own lunch. Light refreshments will be served.
| | |
| Women's History Month Proclamation
Monday, March 17
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
The NC Wake County Board of Commissioners will issue a 2025 Wake County Women’s History Month Proclamation and present it to the League of Women Voters of Wake County.
Please click the button below for more information and to register to attend this event.
| | |  | NCGA Field Trip & Advocacy Day
Join LWV-Wake on Tuesday, March 18th at 11am as we tour the NC General Assembly and and Legislative Office Building. Learn how to locate and observe committee meetings, and how to locate your elected representative's office. We will also meet with NCGA Wake delegates to discuss current bills and learn how we can best advocate for pro-democracy bills.
The field trip is limited to 15 members. Members are invited to have lunch as a group at Sitti Lebanese restaurant after visiting the NCGA. Click on the button below for more information and to register. Remember to log into the website to ensure you are recognized as a member.
| DEI: Beyond Buzzwords
From LWVUS: If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you’re probably aware of the recent attacks on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) policies. But what is DEI, how does it really impact us and our democracy? This blog will provide more clarity into the concept, who’s opposing it, and why it’s important.
| Looking for information from a past newsletter? Previous League Updates can now be viewed on our website's home page. Look for the "League Updates" blue tab on the top menu.
Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.
Sincerely,
Helen Zimmerman
President | | The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. | |