Affordable Housing
The Committee was established in 2018, with the goals of educating League members and the wider community about the importance of affordable housing, advocating for affordable housing at the local level, and advocating as individuals at the state and national level.
Since there is an existing affordable housing position at the local level, there was an acknowledgement that we could advocate at the local level in the jurisdictions that Richmond Metro represents: Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover Counties, the town of Ashland, and the City of Richmond.
The Committee approved the following strategies on which to focus its efforts in the first six months of 2021:
Review 2020 Richmond Regional Framework as it relates to each locality https://pharva.com/wp-content/uploads/RRHF-Summary.pdf,
Review locality housing plans within Comprehensive Plans,
Compare and analyze needs versus housing plans,
Advocate for changes or amendments to local plans that do not address the housing needs as described in the Regional Framework, and
Request local funding to implement the plan, such as local housing trust funds.
For more information contact: Alice Tousignant
Election Modernization
The 2016 election brought into focus the impact on elections of technology. The committee was formed in 2018 to determine what action the LWV could/should be taking in the areas where technology can be used to negatively impact free and fair elections.
LWV-VA initiated a statewide study in 2019 to cover many of the topics of concern including election security. Members of this team have joined the statewide study teams in researching and proposing updates to the LWV-VA positions in the two-part study. The Election Position Study Part 2 is currently in review by local Leagues. The recommended positions will be addressed in the 2021 LWV-VA Convention.
The 2020 election year brought a renewed interest in acting locally. In June, the committee established Electoral Board Observation Teams for the City of Richmond and counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover. The observers attended local Electoral Boards and identified and reported on Early Voting and Drop-off locations on our website. The teams are currently collecting comparative data on localities for a report that can be shared with the electoral boards of all Richmond Metro localities.
For more information contact: Jane Newell
Transportation
The Transportation Committee was formed in 1986 as a study committee (Bernice Rothberg, Chair; Ellen Goodpasture, Elaine Rubin, and Betsy House). The result of the study was the transportation position adopted by members of the LWV Richmond Metro at its 1987 annual meeting.
Our emphasis is on better public transportation and pedestrian infrastructure to serve the underserved and all area residents. Before the pandemic, we had success in the extension of GRTC bus service into Henrico and Chesterfield. Even now plans for important projects are moving forward. Short-term plans include increased bus service in Henrico and Chesterfield. The recently passed federal budget includes authorization for building a second span of the rail bridge between Arlington and Washington, D.C., which will make higher-speed passenger rail between Richmond and the nation’s capital a reality.
Members of the LWV-RMA Transportation Committee are the luckiest people in the world because we need people. We need more members to carry out these activities:
- Represent the LWV-RMA at meetings of the Community Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
- Observe meetings of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority and its committees
-Organize excursions on new GRTC routes
-Advocate for public transit in Henrico and Chesterfield
-Advocate for improved access to the Richmond Marine Terminal
-Attend regional meetings to keep abreast of transportation trends
For better informed advocacy, study relevant legislation and local jurisdictions’ comprehensive plans
Join us to participate in these efforts for improved public transportation.
For more information contact: Virginia Cowles
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The 2020 LWV US convention led to the reaffirmation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to be practiced by all Leaguers in the US. Thus, a DEI Committee was fully established in July 2020, in the metro Richmond area.
The purpose of this committee is to fully commit in principle and practice and to educate League members on the various ways to include DEI in its programs. It is this education process that will help us to engage all individuals, households, communities, and policymakers in creating a more perfect democracy.
Advocacy and policymaking is a vital part of all aspects of DEI, as the focus is on making laws for the betterment of all people the Richmond Metro Leaguers serve. Although considered an issue group, DEI principles are to be embedded in all programs. To assist all members in embracing this commitment to DEI, the continued goal is to educate, enlighten, and provoke discussion around democratic actions.
The Richmond Metro DEI committee aims to educate its members through examining scenarios and analyzing programs to confirm that we are practicing DEI. For example, we will describe how DEI was considered as the election security or voter service committees prepared for the 2020 election in the city of Richmond and in Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico Counties.
The DEI committee meets monthly for education and discussion and to follow up on our plans.
For more information contact: Doris Bey
Women’s Issues
While women’s Issues have always been of interest to the League of Women Voters on the national, state, and local level, the Richmond Metro League asked the State League to allow it to bring passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to the forefront (once again) of its advocacy.
With that in mind, the Richmond League joined forces with like-minded organizations such as AAUW, NOW, and Women Matter to raise awareness of the need to make the ERA a part of the Constitution. During the ensuing years we helped stage events in Richmond and made an untold number of trips to the General Assembly to educate legislators in the importance of this issue.
Once Nevada and Illinois became the 36th and 37th states, respectively, to ratify the ERA, we amped up our efforts and worked for three years with Kamala Lopez (Equal Means Equal) and Kati Hornung (VA Ratify ERA) to educate voters in Virginia as to the importance of our state becoming the 38th and final state needed to enshrine women in our Constitution. We took part in events, law symposiums, bus tours, ice cream vans, and much more.
In 2020 we saw our efforts come to fruition as Virginia’s lawmakers passed the ERA in both the House and the Senate! To celebrate this momentous occasion, a march on March 8th saw the League represented at the front of the line. This should have immediately seen the ERA become the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. Unfortunately, the National Archivist was instructed to not fulfill this final step. Several lawsuits have been filed; one is an amicus brief signed by over 200 organizations and corporations in support of this addition to the Constitution. Another is a suit filed by the Attorneys General of Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia.
Once again Kati Hornung created a campaign (Vote Equality.US) to educate people about the ERA in states in which there were U.S. Senate races this fall so that, like the U.S. House, there would be the chance that newly elected senators would vote to eliminate the deadline imposed for ratification (but not part of the original Amendment). Working with this campaign, calls were made to Leagues in these states to ask for their support in events scheduled in their respective states. Hopefully, this year will see action in which the will of the people is respected, and women can finally see that “All men are created equal” does not mean just men. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to celebrate this victory!
As issues arise that pertain to women in our General Assembly, we will be poised to advocate in accordance with our positions.
For more information contact: Donna Gransky
Black History
The Black History Committee was created to inform League members and the community about the contributions of African Americans to the history of our region, state, and nation. The value of African Americans in the development of our nation is too often overlooked, minimized, and ignored in history textbooks.
With its annual Black History Commemoration on the fourth Saturday of February, the Black History Committee provides a more complete understanding of the past by organizing events such as visits to the home of Maggie Walker in Richmond, to the Rosenfield schools in Louisa and Goochland counties, to the Moton Museum in Farmville, and to the Virginia Randolph Museum in Henrico. The 2021 Black History Commemoration on February 27th will be a Black literature read in. In 2022 when and if the United States has reached herd immunity to COVID-19, the committee plans a return trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. All are welcome to join this inclusive committee.
For more information contact: Virginia Cowles
Proposal to form a Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Committee
The state-level LWV has had a committee working on Gun Safety issues for the past 6 years, and several local Leagues, including Fairfax and Charlottesville, have established adjunct groups. The goal of these committees is to support sensible firearm legislation at the local, state, and national levels by educating our members and the public about the prevalence of firearm violence, writing letters to news media, lobbying local and state levels of government, and working with other groups with like goals. There are positions on this topic at both the national and state League levels, so we can take action based upon these.
Natalie Testa is willing to chair a group if others are interested in joining her.
For more information contact: Natalie Testa
Proposal to form an Observer Corps
An observer is an individual who attends a governmental meeting, notes what happens at the meeting, and reports back to the League and (hopefully) the community. By attending public meetings of local governmental bodies/agencies, observers learn more about what their government is doing. They learn about the issues facing their community and are empowered to act, if warranted. They also learn how issues are being addressed.
Observers do not need to work in teams or committees, reports need not be cumbersome or arduous. While it would be ideal to have every meeting of a given agency or office covered, that may not be practical. Even attending sporadically will establish a League presence. It may be more difficult to follow specific topics, but certainly processes could be monitored—especially the requirement of having minutes of previous sessions available to the public! Observer programs are not “all or nothing” programs.
Ideally, observers monitor the issues being discussed as well as the process by which they are being discussed. While not every item up for discussion will relate to a League’s priorities, ensuring that the meeting is being conducted in an open and acceptable way is critical to the League’s efforts and the health of our democracy. Observer programs are not vehicles for individuals to work personal or partisan agendas. Instead, observers attend meetings to gather information. Through the process, their presence encourages better, more transparent government.
For more information contact: Karen Rosenblum
Proposal to form a Book Club
Leaguers are readers! People come to the League through a commitment to civic engagement. Shared reading is one way to broaden and deepen our understanding of the current historic moment.
For more information contact: Karen Rosenblum
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