SLO Chapter hosts luncheon to commemorate its founding

On February 14, 2020, the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) celebrates its 100th anniversary and honors the visionary women who formed the League six months before the adoption of the 19th Amendment that established women’s right to vote. The San Luis Obispo Chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWVSLOCO) is celebrating the founding of its national organization with a luncheon on February 22, 2020. Tickets are $75 and available at Eventbrite or by contacting a co-chair.

The event’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, who is the only woman of color to have served as president of the national League of Women Voters (1998-2002) since the organization’s founding. Jefferson-Jenkins is a strong advocate for voting rights and a published author.

The event is open to the public and begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo. Attendees will be able to reserve Jefferson-Jenkins’ new book, The Untold Story of Women of Color in the League of Women Voters and receive a 20% discount. The book is due out in late February 2020.

The program will open with a flag ceremony performed by the Girl Scouts.  In honor of the LWV’s 100th anniversary, an essay contest about voting rights was held with 8th graders from San Luis Coastal School District, and the winners will be presented. San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong will provide a Primary Preview in anticipation of the first-ever Super Tuesday presidential primary in California.

The San Luis Obispo County LWV joins more than 700 other local and state chapters to celebrate this historic milestone. “Today we are faced with many challenges that threaten to compromise our democracy,” said Chris Carson, national LWV president. “Our efforts to support voting rights and to fight against voter suppression and discrimination at the local, state and national levels have been very successful, and this has been achieved primarily by educating and empowering voters, circulating special petitions, and intervening in several critical court cases.”

The League’s historic commitment to register, educate and mobilize voters is not only stronger, but more effective than ever, utilizing such tools as http://votersedge.org/ca —a cutting-edge election information website utilized by millions of voters each election cycle.

For more information about LWV and the 100th anniversary of the organization, please visit www.lwvslo.org and click on “LWV Centennial.”