The DEI Journey �with LWVWI Local Leagues

Prepared by: CAC

Updated May 2025

LWV Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy

Discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be accepted within the League, including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, age, ability status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, or marital status.

The League is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging for all people.

The League is an organization that respects and values the richness of our community and our members.

The collective sum of our individual differences and life experiences represents not only our culture, but our reputation and the organization's mission and achievements as well.

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Purpose of Our Discussion

1. Review how DEI strengthens our mission of civic engagement
2. Show ways we are already reaching out to those least likely to vote/engage—the only way we can increase our impact in our communities
3. Understand the Hub & the Spectrum
1. The Hub: No League is alone, we are all pursuing the same mission, and can help and learn from each other
2. Spectrum: We are all at different places on our DEI journey—individually and as organizations
4. Illustrate tangible examples of how DEI is the bedrock of all our work.
5. Offer concrete steps/links for where to start, best resources and who to ask for advice

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DEI is a Personal Journey:�How We See Ourselves

The Urgency of Intersectionality

• Kimberlé Crenshaw: The urgency of intersectionality | TED Talk

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Intersectionality Wheel

DEI is a Personal Journey:�How We See Others

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• The Bias Inside Us by Smithsonian
• Introduction | The Bias Inside Us
• Implicit Social Attitudes by Harvard
• Take a Self-Assessment (harvard.edu)

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

January 28, 2009 (nationalseedproject.org)

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DEI is an Organizational Journey

• How we create a welcoming and empowering space for everyone

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• How we talk about the League’s history of voting and women’s rights:
• August 2019 Op-ed from LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase - The Hill: This Women's Equality Day, stop romanticizing the 19th Amendment | League of Women Voters (lwv.org)

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• How we enter into alliances/partnerships:
• Guidance for Leagues about Nonpartisanship and Partnerships | League of Women Voters
• LWVUS Corporate and Organizational Partnerships | League of Women Voters

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Local League Discussion Points

• Are you aware of LWV’s expansive definition of DEI?
• including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, age, ability status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, or marital status
• Do you already have a DEI coordinator/chair or an active DEI committee?
• Do you have members who are passionate about DEI who might be interested in starting a DEI committee?

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DEI Enthusiasm Index

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• Leagues all start from different places and take different paths 
• DEI work is always evolving
• DEI is not the sole responsibility of a committee, chair or team

In which category would you currently place your League?

Why Does DEI Matter in �Defending Democracy?

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How Do We Strengthen Relationships and Make Our Work More Impactful?

• Find ways to bridge activism with popular culture and local community events to engage with new audiences
• Make your actions tangible–engage both the mind and the heart
• Share the lessons you’ve learned–both successes and disappointments

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Internal & External DEI Opportunities

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Voter Services: DEI Opportunities

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Voter Services�Milwaukee League

We inaugurated CVL-LVO’s newest voter engagement prop at the La Causa Parent-Teacher Night--the Future Voter sarape stole. Two La Causa School students saw the stole on our voter outreach table. One of the girls simply picked it up off the table and asked us to take a picture of her and her "BFF” (Best Friend Forever). It was a touching and powerful moment for all of us as the girls who celebrated their friendship with an achievement symbol and a reminder of the importance of becoming registered voters. Salma, the La Causa’s Parent Coordinator intends to add this photo to an upcoming parent newsletter.

In the process of sharing this photo, we connected with the parents to receive approval to use the photo and this strategy connects us to adults, too. And we also have a “Registered Voter” sarape stole! CVL-LVO picked the sarape design last fall when three of our LWVMC members (Las Tres Marias as I’ve been calling them—Maria Cruz, Maria Rodriguez and Maria Torres) selected this design for some of our marketing outreach. You will find some of our new marketing designs including elements of the sarape design in them.

As you may know, the sarape is a colorful woven cloth with ancient roots in Mexico and LatinAmerica. Latinos, particularly of Mexican heritage, have used the design as a symbol of cultural pride. The best example of this is its design for graduation stoles. Across the U.S. sarape designed stoles are worn as high school and college graduation ceremonies.

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Programs & Events: DEI Opportunities

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Programs & Events�Greater Chippewa Valley

We continue to build our relationship with the Hmong community. The Eau Claire Area Hmong Association held a simulation of the plight of the journey from Laos to Thailand to the US, detailing the harrowing experiences.

Our League has been versed in these experiences by members of the Hmong community and has presented programs about their plight.

Utilizing the arts of the Hmong has been intertwined within our gatherings, using student dancers/singers and attending the Hmong-sponsored markets showcasing the talent. Beyond this, the LWVGCV continues to maintain and grow relations with Hmong and Latino communities.

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Programs & Events�Ozaukee & Washington Counties

Spotlight on Immigration: Pathways to Citizenship

Trio of panelists included: Immigration Attorney, English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor and recently naturalized US citizen from Germany

Viewed The Flagmakers film about employee-owned Eder Flag in Oak Creek, which sews and ships five million American flags/year

Held a drawing for an embroidered flag made by Eder and donated by FlyRite Tangle Free Flags

Requested donations for International Institute of Wisconsin to help newly arrived refugees establish homes in our communities

Book discussion held prior on America for Americans by Erika Lee

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Programs & Events�The Northwoods

Importance of treaties and treaty rights by Jenny Van Sickle, BSW (Tlingit/Athabascan) a key member of the Public Information Office of Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) in Odanah

Co-sponsored by American Association of University Women (AAUW), Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and WXPR

Members encouraged to pick up and read a copy of the booklet Ojibwe Treaty Rights (GLIFWC) before the presentation

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Actions/Issues/Advocacy: DEI Opportunities

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Actions/Issues/Advocacy�Ashland Bayfield

The Bad River Watershed is a vast expanse of land that includes all the rivers and streams that become its namesake. Before flowing into Gitchegumee, the water irrigates the Kakagon Sloughs where some of the best manoomin, or wild rice, is harvested in the late summer.

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The bad snake called Line 5 and several others are owned by the Canadian corporation Enbridge. Bad River and Enbridge have gone to court to settle the Line 5 matter. In response to the dispute, many concerned people have come forth to protect the watershed and rally in support of Bad River, while others including some businesses and unions have stood with Enbridge.

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The League of Women Voters of Ashland and Bayfield Counties (LWV/ABC) issued a Resolution in support of our Bad River siblings and in favor of decommissioning Line 5. As a sovereign nation it has the right to cease to lease the land. The LWV/ABC submitted an extensive, comprehensive and well-researched comment document that describes numerous reasons why construction of a reroute of the bad snake called Line 5 was an inauspicious idea. Our League based our activism on positions; safeguarding the environment and standing with our Indigenous neighbors in support of Treaty Rights are among them.

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It has become clear that a reroute is not a solution to the dangers posed by Line 5. Whether it cuts through the reservation or around it within the Bad River watershed. The reroute would cross scores of waterways of all sizes that become the Bad River.

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A beautiful documentary directed by Mary Mazzio titled Bad River was recently released. It can be streamed for free: BAD RIVER | Xumo Play

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LWV Appleton-Fox Cities�Preamble to Positions Document

Our local League chapter was founded in 1939. Over many decades, we focused on Appleton and Outagamie County, conducting studies to develop our local positions. Our League has grown along with the increasingly diverse Fox Cities region, and in 2021, officially became the League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities. In order to expand our outreach and influence and to maintain current and future relevancy, we hereby adopt this preamble to our positions document.  

�The League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities is committed to strengthening our communities by empowering individuals and groups to better engage with their government. Whether explicitly stated or not, the League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities affirms that our local governments, commissions, and advisory committees must reflect the diversity of our communities and uphold the right of every individual to live a healthy and authentic life with a sense of belonging, respect, and acceptance. We intentionally advocate with, and for all to be treated with dignity, including those who are marginalized, stereotyped, misunderstood, or intentionally ignored.  

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Communications: DEI Opportunities

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Communications���

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Communications

The LWVOzWa Communications Co-Chair posts on Facebook and Instagram several times a week, interweaving DEI throughout all of our messaging.

These are some of most recent posts--we now have over 600 FB followers.

You don’t need to create the wheel, copy ours!

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Leadership: DEI Opportunities

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Leadership �LWVOzWa Youth Vote Group

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Our Youth Vote Group members coordinate and facilitate an annual community conversation. Our League participation in Wisconsin Civics Games often sparks their initial interest in LWV.

Education: DEI Opportunities

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LWVOzWa Field Trip:

Celebrating Our Shared Roots at Latino Arts Center

LWV St. Croix Valley: Community Presentation

Organization Alliances: DEI Opportunities

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Organization Alliances�Appleton-Fox Cities

“If cake were our national conversation, what can we learn from the layers, from the active agents blended into the recipe and process?” – Dasha Kelly Hamilton

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The LWV Appleton Fox Cities collaborated with the Performing Arts Center in presenting Wisconsin’s 2021-2022 Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton’s Makin’ Cake spoken word performance. It gave the audience reason to pause and examine life through new lenses. In addition, the LWV and PAC sponsored a follow up community conversation regarding the role of race in our lives.

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Makin’ Cake was initially commissioned by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan. It is storytelling in layers and filled with aha-moments and poignant vignettes, digital media, and a supporting cast of two on-stage bakers. The show served up an experience and a conversation about equity in America.

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Organization Alliances�Appleton-Fox Cities

LWV Appleton-Fox Cities was invited by Timber Smith (Appleton DEI Coordinator and Special Assistant to the Mayor) to be a guest on his podcast Appleton Engaged.

During the recording, April Savage (DEI Committee Chair) and Timber discussed a collaboration between the League and the UW-Oshkosh chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a fraternity with deep commitments to nonpartisan civic engagement. Timber is a leader for their regional Alumni Network.

The league has consistently had a presence at the Appleton Juneteenth Celebration, with the goal of registering voters and encouraging civic engagement.

Our two groups came together to create much more impactful engagement with Juneteenth attendees, as well as creating a shared connection of spreading the importance of civic engagement and voting.

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What’s Next?

• Summarize best (vetted, viewed, recommended) resources that are specific, actionable, and impactful
• Send examples/stories of what worked and what didn’t in local Leagues
• Reach out to organizations with whom new or veteran members have relationships/experiences

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DEI is a promise,�not a checklist.

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