BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – A bumper sticker reads “It’s a man’s world…unless women vote.”
EmergeVermont would add “…and run for office.”
The state branch of a national organization, EmergeVermont is working to identify, train and encourage women who identify as Democrats or progressives to run for office at all levels of government, get elected, and serve their communities and state. Currently, there are branches in 24 states.
This fall, 29 women from 19 Vermont communities are enrolled in the latest training program. Several of them will make a presentation about the program and their aspirations at a meeting of the Brattleboro branch of the American Association of University Women Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlboro Graduate Center. They include Sarah Levine, Ann Braden, Emilie Kornheiser and Cindy Jerome. The public is invited to hear their stories.
Also on hand will be State Sen. Becca Balint (D-Windham), a graduate of the program.
Young women who are thinking of enter the public arena in any capacity are encouraged to attend.
According to Emerge, in the 226 years since its statehood, Vermont has never elected a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives or to the U.S. Senate, and only one woman has served as governor of Vermont. Only 11 women have ever been elected to statewide office in the history of the state. Of 180 State Legislators, only 41 per cent are women, and of the over 1,000 of local select board members, only 21 per cent are women.
Emerge believes more women don’t run for office or accept leadership positions because they don’t see themselves in those roles, assuming they don’t have enough experience or skill or they don’t know where to begin. Emerge works to overcome those barriers by offering two training programs to inspire women to enter public life.
EmergeVermont Local is an intensive, weekend-long program designed to inspire and train women to step up for local offices, including select board, school board, elected law enforcement and judiciary positions, and other local boards and commissions. EmergeVermont Signature is a six-month, cohort-based program designed to train women to run for office at all levels of government, including competitive local offices, state legislature, and statewide offices.
In addition to Balint, other graduates include Elizabeth McLoughlin of Brattleboro, owner of Environmental and Land Use consulting firm, Julie Moore, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and Liz Gamache, mayor of St. Albans.
AAUW promotes education and equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. Locally, AAUW funds scholarships for recent high school graduates and older women continuing their higher education.
Further information is available at aauw.org or by contacting the local branch president Vivian Prunier at (802) 387-5875.
Since when are AAUW members all Democrats or Progressives?
Since when are all AAUW members Democrats or Progressives?
“The state branch of a national organization, EmergeVermont…”
Vivian Prunier, please specify in the sentence above a clear
fact: is or is not the Emerge Vermont Program a state branch
of AAUW? Is Emerge Vermont Program a PAC, a political action
committee? Please do not conceal any material facts.
“…encourage women who identify as Democrats or progressives…”
Again, Vivian Prunier, please fill in the necessary material
facts to warn and inform the public if EmergeVermont is a
political action committee; and if EmergeVermont is a branch
of AAUW, and if in fact, AAUW ONLY represents women who are
University graduates and who are Democrats or Progressives.
In other words, would a woman who is a University graduate but
who is not currently a Democrat or Progressive
get kicked out of AAUW American Association of University Women;
and if so, aren’t you all a bunch of facists?
Ms. Cris Ericson
B.A. Degree, University of Massachusetts/Amherst Campus
also 1991 UCLA, course in Workers’ Rights & Industrial Relations
and ADA Americans w/Disabilites Act
also PCDI.edu 1996 Paralegal Course, Corporate Law &
2016 candidate in the Democratic Primary Election,
on the official Democratic Primary Election ballot in Vermont
for Governor and for U.S. Senator,
but mysteriously excluded from the MAJORITY of DEBATES & FORUMS
for Governor of Vemont in the Democratic Primary,
and excluded 100% from being allowed to debate incumbent
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy in the Democratic Primary.
WOW! HOW FACIST ARE THE DEMOCRATS!
yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Emerge and AAUW two separate organizations
Emerge Vermont http://www.emergevt.org/ is the Vermont state branch of Emerge America https://emerge.ngpvanhost.com/about instead of jumping to conclusions read about it for yourself.
Brattleboro AAUW http://www.aauwvt.org/Brattleborovt.html is the local branch of the national American Association of University Women https://www.aauw.org/ which advocates for education and equity for women and girls nationwide. It is nonpartisan but obviously many of its causes are supported more by the left than the right. Again, read for yourself.