Greetings, Fellow Leaguers!

Once again this year's Annual Meeting will be held on the Zoom platform.  In anticipation of the meeting we have prepared our Annual Report  This year has been a full year of Zoom meetings and no in-person contact with our colleagues.  While we miss seeing your faces, we have been able to advance the programs and issues important to all of us.  The report details all the activities we have participated in. 

The Annual Report can be viewed here. The action items for this year's meeting consist of:

The Council of Metropolitan Area Leagues of Women Voters (CMAL) 2021 Annual Meeting and Program will be held on May 8, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Program guest speakers: Anoka County Commissioner Mandy Meisner and Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt. Topic: County Government Visibility and Accountability. The business meeting will follow immediately after the program.

Ramsey County Library has provided us with a link to the recording of this program.  This was a not-to-miss informative program.  Here is the link to view it. 

Join us on Tuesday, March 23 7:00 -8:30 PM for a discussion on Discrimination in Housing Opportunities:Redlining and Racial Covenants Then and Now. Co-hosted with Ramsey County Library Roseville, Kirsten Delegard, co-founder of Mapping Prejudice and Kari Collins, Ramsey County Community and Economic Development Director will help us understand how racial covenants were used in the past to discriminate, how the impacts of this discrimination still manifest today and what current barriers to equitable home ownership may be.

Paul Huffman, our presenter, made a pdf of his PowerPoint presentation available to us.  You will find it here.  If you were unable to attend the event life, you can view a recording of the event made by Ramsey County Library.  Click on this link.

Join us for this presentation where Paul Huffman, LWVMN Redistricting Coordinator, will give an overview of the legal requirements for redistricting, how it has historically been done in Minnesota, the potential for political manipulation and how Minnesotans can be involved in ensuring that the new maps are fair. This Zoom presentation on Tuesday, February 16, 7 - 8:30 pm is co-hosted by LWVRA and Ramsey County Library Roseville, Register at https://rclreads.bibliocommons.com/events/5fc672b41d94912f00a8ebb6

The Ramsey County Library has provided a link to the recording of the event: https://my.nicheacademy.com/rcladult/course/26047

The League of Women Voters of Roseville Area hosted its annual Conversations with Constituents on Thursday, January 21, in which local elected officials (county commissioners and legislators) joined League members and guests for informal group discussions of current topics of import in our communities.  

Our questions and challenges were given thoughtful and informed answers from 10 legislators and county commissioners as they lead our communities and state through Minnesota's recovery through the next year and beyond. Our first-ever Zoom Conversations was a success because of the engagement of our members!
The evening was recorded and is available here, so if you missed part or all of our dialogues, or if you wish to share it with a friend, you can access it any time.
https://my.nicheacademy.com/rcladult/course/24487 

The Council of Metropolitan League of Women Voteres (CMAL) will present a panel discussion on January 9, 2021, 10:00-11:30 a.m.  The topic is Metro Area County Government, and the panel will feature Jan Callison, former Hennepin County Commissioner; Lisa Weik, Washington County Commissioner, and Matt Smith, Dakota County Administrator. They will discuss current issues in county government, including the effects of the pandemic, relationship with the Met Council, and efforts at transparency, accountability, and community engagement.

If you were unable to join us on November 17 for this informative event, here is the link to the video recorded by Ramsey County Library-Roseville: https://my.nicheacademy.com/rcladult/course/22069

Join us on November 17th 6:30 - 8:00 pm on Zoom to focus on health policy lessons COVID-19 provides. Our current system is ill-prepared. People are losing employer coverage on top of those who are already without coverage. The pandemic points to the need for a system that addresses health disparities and covers everyone, without exception-a system that plans ahead to address public health needs efficiently. Co-sponsored by LWV Roseville Area and Ramsey County Library - Roseville.  Zoom meeting hosted by Ramsey County Library- Roseville.  Register in advance at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rJlj3Ma9QDCmsOLlvDpy8A.  

Do you have questions about registering to vote, completing an absentee ballot and how to return it, election security or any other 2020 election related issue?  In recognition of National Voter Registration Day, Michael Wall, Voter Outreach Specialist from the MN Office of Secretary of State, will respond to any and all voting questions.

As part of our year-long celebration of 100 years of the League of Women Voters, our League invited Dr. Josie Johnson and her co-author Carolyn Holbrook to speak at our Wednesday, September 16 meeting 6:30 - 8 pm. Due to personal circumstances, Dr. Johnson is unavailable to attend, but we are fortunate that Holbrook will cover both Dr. Johnson’s book as well as her own newly released book, Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify. Both books are published by the University of Minnesota Press and are pertinent to our League anniversary and the times we live in, where we must continue fighting for voting and civil rights. This Zoom meeting is co-hosted by the Ramsey County Library - Roseville.

Here is a link to view the program in its entirely: https://www.rclreads.org/hope-in-the-struggle/