Arizona Womenh’s Political Caucus (AWPC) 2012 Primary Election Endorsements
Federal Races (endorsements done by National Women’s Political Caucus)

U.S. House CD 1 Ann Kirkpatrick (D)
U.S. House CD 9 Kyrsten Sinema (D)

Arizona Statewide Races
Corporation Commission Marcia Busching (D)
Corporation Commission Sandra Kennedy (D)*

Arizona Legislative District (LD) Races
LD 2 Senate Linda Lopez (D)* (unopposed)
House Andrea Dalessandro (D)
House Rosanna Gabaldon (D)

LD 3 Senate Olivia Cajero Bedford (D)*
House Sally Ann Gonzales (D)*

LD 4 House Charlene Fernandez (D)

LD 6 House Angela LeFevre (D)

LD 8 Senate Barbara McGuire (D)
House Emily Verdugo (D)

LD 9 House Mohur Sarah Sidhwa (D)
House Victoria Steele (D)

LD 10 House Stefanie Mach (D)

LD 11 Senate Jo Holt (D)

LD 14 Senate Patricia Fleming (D)

LD 17 House Karyn Lathan (D)

LD 18 Senate Janie Hydrick (D)

LD 20 House Tonya Norwood (D)
House Jackie Thrasher (D)

LD 21 House Carol Lokare (D)
House Sheri Van Horsen (D)

LD 24 Senate Katie Hobbs (D)
House Lela Alston (D)*

LD 30 House Debbie McCune-Davis (D)*

Pima County Races
Board of Supervisors Dist.1 Nancy Young Wright (D)
Board of Supervisors Dist.3 Sharon Bronson (D)*
County Attorney Barbara LaWall (D)*
Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez (D)*
School Superintendent Linda Arzoumanian (R)*
Treasurer Elaine Richardson (D)

* indicates incumbent. CD 1, 2 & 3 and LD 2,3,9,10,11 & 14 are in Southern AZ. The Arizona Women’s Political Caucus endorses women of all political parties. More info about this group, click here.

Their quest is “to increase the number of pro-choice women elected and appointed to office. Getting women involved in the political process while targeting, recruiting, training and supporting women candidates at the local, state and national level has been and remains the primary activity of the Caucus. In 1971 when the group first convened, 14 women served in the Arizona Legislature. In 2012 30 of the 90 members are women.”

I also just learned via the Pima County Tucson Women’s Commission and the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson that women were granted suffrage in Arizona in Nov. 1912 — before the federal 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1920. So women in Arizona have been voting for 100 years. (Remember that Arizona became a state that same year on February 14, 1912.)

Vote wisely on August 28.

In celebration of Women’s Equality Day the Women’s Commission is hosting an executive reception at their office, 240 N. Court Ave. from 5 to 7 p.m.on August 26. Invited special guests are Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Supervisor Sharon Bronson, and Lisa Lovallo, VP of Cox Communications (guest speaker).

Cover artwork courtesy of Maria Jimenez, 2012 PCTWC Art Contest winner. Please RSVP by August 19 to 520-624-8318.

WHEREAS, on August 26, 2012, we honor the hard work and perseverance of those who helped to secure women’s suffrage in the United States, in Arizona, and in Pima County. We reflect also on the sacrifices made by those visionaries so that our daughters and granddaughters will build on the achievements of our past and move forward as one people, one Nation, and one State; and

WHEREAS, the first women’s rights convention, held on July 13, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York, witnessed the early defenders of women’s rights, such as Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Ann McClintock and Frederick Douglas, signing the Declaration of Sentiments, declaring all women and men created equal and, in one of the accompanying resolutions that called for universal women’s suffrage. After a 72-year struggle, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified on August 26, 1920, giving women the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the first Presidential Proclamation declaring August 26 as Women’s Equality Day, a precedent followed by every U.S. President who followed him; and
WHEREAS, as we look to the future, we honor the resilience, accomplishments and history of women in the United States and Arizona, and celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that the Pima County Board of Supervisors hereby proclaims August 26, 2012, to be:
“WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY”
and call on all residents of Pima County to celebrate these accomplishments, and to renew our commitment to empower women and girls with full equality in all aspects of life.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 7th day of August, 2012.
_Ramon Valadez__________________________________
Chairman, Pima County Board of Supervisors
ATTEST:
_Robin Brigode__________________________________
Clerk of the Board

I would like to add also that many women now hold elected public office and are candidates in the upcoming elections. Consider your choices & vote wisely on or before the August 28 AZ Primary.

Women’s Equality Day is a day proclaimed each year by the United States President to commemorate the giving of the vote to women throughout the country on an equal basis to men.

Women in the United States were given the right to vote on August 26, 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was certified. The amendment was first introduced many years earlier in 1878. Every president has published a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day since 1971 when legislation was first introduced in Congress by Bella Abzug. This resolution was passed designating August 26 of each year as Women’s Equality Day.

Women still earn less than men (77 cents to the dollar) but have come a very long way since 1920. When I was growing up women could only be housemakers or be employed at three jobs: secretary, elementary school teacher, or nurse. But being raised by supportive parents I was encouraged (like many women of my generation) to do more — go to law school, dental school, medical school, get a Ph.D., etc. The women’s movement have helped women find employment in alternative jobs like fire fighters, bus drivers, school principals, paramedics.

In 2011 American women can handle all types of jobs, the same as men.
Women are CEOs of large corporations, have run for U.S. President,and are politicians in all levels of government, including Governor of our state of Arizona.

I firmly believe that women should be treated the same as men, thus my title of this blog, which is taken off a 2008 honorable mention amateur adult art entry I submitted to the Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission:

my 2008 postcard art entry

Description of postcard entry:

pink symbol for women = blue symbol for men (on same line)

with word “EQUALity” spelled underneath, with the word EQUAL in caps.

Celebrate women and Women’s Equality Day today, August 26, 2011. And tomorrow the Women’s Commission is hosting a celebration & jam session starting at 7 p.m. with local woman musician Annie English (at 240 N. Court Ave. in downtown Tucson). Log onto their website www.pimatucsonwomen.org or call Chair Alison Hughes at 520-881-0917.

Today, August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, first proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter back in 1977. The Pima County Board of Supervisors’ proclamation signed on August 3, 2010 states that “today we honor the hard work and perseverence of those who helped to secure women’s suffrage in the United States, Arizona and Pima County. We reflect also on the sacrifices made by these visionaries so our daughters and granddaughters will build on these achievements of our past and move forward as one people, one Nation, and one State.”

Let us know forget the courageous women (and male allies) who fought for our right to vote back in 1920. And let us join in with the women who continue to fight for women’s equality now, like the Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission (of which I was a PCTWC Commissioner twice).

PCTWC is sponsoring 6 seminars for women next month at 7 p.m., beginning September 9 to September 30:

- Sept. 9 Business Communication Defined: For Your Business or Career
Elena Acoba, past Pres. of International Assn. of Business Communicators

- Sept. 16, Minority Business
with Commissioner Lucinda Hughes-Juan, business instructor

-Sept. 21, How to Get Your News in Print or on TV
Come hear Arizona Daily Star editor Tiffany Kjos, “Inside Business & KUAT pull no punches in letting you know how to get a competitive edge”, with Commissioner Maxine Goodman

-Sept. 23, Grant Writing
Commissioner Alison Hughes,University of Arizona grant writer

-Sept. 28, Math Anxiety
Commissioner Sheila Tobias, author of “Succeed with Math” & “Overcoming Math Anxiety”

-Sept. 30, Basic Intellectual Property for Women Artists and Entrepreneurs
Commissioner attorney Kathleen Williamson, Williamson & Young

All seminars will be held at 7 p.m. at the Women’s Commission, 240 N. Court Avenue (SE corner of Council) in Tucson. Suggested donation, $10. Make checks payable to Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission by Sept. 1. Info: (520) 622-0905 or the Commission at 520-624-8318. Space limited to 25. Website: http://pimatucsonwomen.org/

Mission of PCTWC: “to assist women to achieve equality of opportunity in all aspects of life in our Republic, and to take positive action to expose, eliminate, and prevent the practice of discrimination against women.”

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So now as we head into the Arizona primary on Tuesday August 24, here’s a list of the women candidates and politicians up for re-election in Arizona (and mostly Southern Arizona). D stands for Democratic Party, G for Green Party, R for Republican Party.

–U.S. Senate: Dr. Cathy Eden (D) candidate
–U.S. House: Ruth McClung (R) in CD 7, candidate
–U.S. House: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D) in CD 8, incumbent

–Governor Jan Brewer (R), incumbent
–Sec. of State: Michelle Lochmann (G), write-in candidate
–Attorney General: Felecia Rotellini (D), candidate
–Treasurer: Barbara Leff (R), candidate
–Superintendent of Public Instruction: Margaret Garcia Dugan (R), candidate;
Penny Kotterman (D), candidate;
Dr. Beth Price (R), candidate
–Corporation Commission: Brenda Burns (R), candidate

–State Senate LD 25: Gail Griffin (R), candidate, former legislator
–State Senate LD 26: Cheryl Cage (D), candidate
–State Senate LD 27: Olivia Cajero Bedford (D), candidate, former legislator
–State Senate LD 28: Paula Aboud (D), incumbent
–State Senate LD 29: Linda Lopez (D), incumbent
–State Senate LD 30: Marian McClure (R), candidate, former legislator

–State House LD 25: Patricia Fleming (D), incumbent;
Peggy Judd (R), candidate
–State House LD 26: Terri Proud (R), candidate;
Nancy Young Wright (D), incumbent
–State House LD 27: Sally Ann Gonzales (D), candidate, former legislator
–State House LD 28: Mohur Sidhwa (D), candidate
–State House LD 30: Andrea Dalessandro (D), candidate;
Parralee Schneider (R), candidate

Seems like there’s now a woman candidate for almost every elected office in Arizona (except State Mine Inspector, which doesn’t quite seem like a woman’s job). But I could be wrong on that one. We have come a long way.

Vote wisely on or before August 24.