Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls 2 “About the Dark”
2022-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Please join us as we welcome Chelsea Trillo, program coordinator with Sovereign Bodies Institute, and Jaclyn Bissonette. Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI) builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into action research on gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people.
SBI has developed and maintains a database that logs cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and two-spirit people, from 1900 to the present.
The database works to address the chronic lack of data on this violence by maintaining a comprehensive resource to support those in their work towards justice for our stolen sisters.
The talk will be followed by a Q&A.
League members are invited to register for this Zoom presentation.
Everyone is invited to watch live on YouTube.
Sponsored by LWVEA, Long Red Line, and AAUW Elgin Area (IL) Branch.
Native American women across the country are being murdered and sexually assaulted on reservations and nearby towns at far higher rates than other American women. Their assailants are often white and other non-Native American men outside the jurisdiction of tribal law enforcement.
In some U.S. counties composed primarily of Native American lands, murder rates of Native American women are up to 10 times higher than the national average for all races, according to a study for the U.S. Department of Justice by sociologists at the University of Delaware and University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Other possible victims have never been found. As of 2016, there were 5,712 cases of missing Native American women reported to the National Crime Information Center.
“The numbers are likely much higher because cases are often under-reported and data isn’t officially collected,” said the U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat from North Dakota, who has introduced legislation to improve how law enforcement keeps track of missing and murdered indigenous women.”

Source: August 27, 2018 – Murdered and missing Native American women challenge police and courts, by Garet Bleir, Anya Zoledziowski and News21 Staff

Elgin Celebrates International Women's Day
2022-03-06 13:30 | Gail Borden Public Library, 270 North Grove Avenue, Elgin, IL, 60120, United States
Guest speakers and dramatic vignettes will highlight the accomplishments of women in Elgin and around the world. Speakers will include Laura Robertson, author of Forty Dollars and a Dream, Ramona “Monie” Burns, Social Activist/Tribal member of the Paiute Nation, LeJewel K. Crigler, Community Activist, Tina Viglucci, Gail Borden Library Hispanic Services Director, and Jennifer Ford, League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area President.

Start In Your Yard
2022-03-09 19:00 - 20:00
Start In Your Yard is a local movement initiated by members of Wild Ones. We understand that we have become disconnected from the natural world — and our place in it — with disastrous consequences. Recognizing that we are part of a great web, we are moved to become cooperative partners and share the land where we live.
The call to address climate change often recounts the need to capture carbon, build and improve soil, slow the loss of species, create habitat, use naturally renewable resources, restore aquafers, and filter pollutants. These are often regarded as complex, industrial, agricultural and commercial, projects that might require governmental action and/or assistance. But…
In his books Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope, Doug Tallamy, author, entomologist, and researcher, suggests that in the past we homeowners have ignored the important ecological role our gardens could play in the landscape. Considering only appearance, we have converted millions of acres of working plant communities into ecologically useless lawns. Now that we face the crises listed above, we must reconsider how we use our land.
Dr. Tallamy proposes that we think differently about the land we live on. He teaches that what we plant changes the way we impact life around us; what we do makes a difference to other beings — plants, animals, insects, birds, microorganisms, and us – because we are part of an interwoven system of life. We steward the land that needs to be a home to Life.
To begin, we can replace some of the endless lawns with native grasses, flowers, trees, and shrubs. We don’t need to wait for governmental action. As homeowners, we are empowered. We can step outside today and begin making changes to provide respite for the biodiversity we are displacing. Perhaps this will tide them over while we, as a species, find our balance as part of Nature.
We’d like to expand upon these ideas and talk about what is taking place in the Elgin area.
The talk will be followed by a Q&A.
League members are invited to register for this Zoom presentation.
Everyone is invited to watch live on YouTube.

Elgin Mayor and City Council - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-02-28 18:00 - 21:00 | Gail Borden Public Library, 270 North Grove Avenue, Elgin, IL, 60120, United States
Meet the candidates running for Elgin Mayor and City Council in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Elgin Community College and U-46 - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-03-02 18:00 - 21:00 | Gail Borden Public Library, 270 North Grove Avenue, Elgin, IL, 60120, United States
Meet the candidates running for Elgin Community College Trustee and School District U-46 Board in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Village of East Dundee Trustees - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 | East Dundee Police Department – 2nd Floor Meeting Room, 115 E 3rd St., East Dundee, IL, 60118
Meet the candidates running for Village of East Dundee Trustees in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Village of Gilberts Trustees - Meet the Candidates Night - Cancelled
2023-03-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Eagle’s Club, 325 Raymond St, Gilberts, IL, 60136, United States
This event has been cancelled.

School District 300 Board - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-03-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Rakow Adult Activities Center, 665 Barrington Ave, Carpentersville, IL, United States
Meet the candidates running for School District 300 Board in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Village of West Dundee Trustees - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-03-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Village Hall, 102 South Second St., West Dundee, IL 60118
Meet the candidates running for West Dundee Trustees in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Gail Borden Library Trustees - Meet the Candidates Night
2023-03-23 18:30 - 21:00 | Gail Borden Public Library – Elgin Room, 270 N Grove Ave., Elgin, IL, 60120, United States
Meet the candidates running for Gail Borden Library Trustees in the April 2023 Consolidated Election.
The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area will host a series of Meet the Candidates Nights for local candidates in contested races. The candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly on selected topics related to policy and governance of their respective board of trustees. No questions will be taken from the audience.

Hard Facts and Human Faces: Navigating U.S. Immigration in Our Communities
2024-06-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh Street, Geneva, IL, 60134, United States
The League of Women Voters of Elgin Area, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County and the League of Women Voters Aurora Area, invite residents of Kane County and the surrounding communities to a timely and informative presentation about U.S. immigration policy and the issues arising from an imperfect and overtaxed system. The program will be held at 7 pm on June 19th in person in the meeting room at the Geneva Public Library and live streamed on BATV.
The guest speaker for the program is Sara Dady. Ms. Dady is the principal at Dady Law Group LLC in Rockford and has been practicing family-based immigration law for over 17 years. She writes and presents frequently on immigration topics and advocates for comprehensive immigration reform. Ms. Dady will present on the complexities surrounding immigration in the U.S. – how our history has shaped our challenges, our system of laws, and our political environment. Ms. Dady will discuss the current situation and outline proposals for effectively responding with short-term relief and long-term resolution.
“Our local League of Women Voters organizations are excited to host this important presentation,” said Patti Lackman, Co-Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County. “If we are going to solve the immigration crisis in our country and in our local communities, we need to put politics aside and do the work of learning about the issue – including how we got ourselves into this mess, and how we can work together to reform our immigration system while remaining true to our American ideals.”
The program is free and open to the public. The Geneva Public Library is located at 227 S. Seventh Street in Geneva, Illinois. It will take place in the meeting room on June 19th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
The League of Women Voters will be accepting voluntary donations at the event for the following specific items:

✅disposable diapers,
✅feminine pads (not tampons),
✅bath tissue, and
✅facial tissue.

Donations for these items are welcome and entirely voluntary. Following the event, the League will pass along donated items to organizations, such as World Relief, who take pressure off our local communities by providing much-needed assistance to arriving families.
Anyone wishing to find out more about this program may obtain more information by calling Patti Lackman at 630-336-0531 or emailing info@lwvckc.org.
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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
