LWV-PA recently received this recognition from PUSD for our “support and guidance of PUSD Summer 2023 Academy interns”!
Thank you to those who took the opportunity to attend our September Thursday with the League event at Blinn House. Our speaker, Alton Wang, had the audience hanging on his every word, and we bombarded him with wonderfully insightful questions. If you missed the event, please go to our website at www.lwv-pa.org and click on our YouTube video icon. It will be worth your time.
You’ll be pleased to know that we have another fantastic speaker lined up for October 14 at the Pasadena Senior Center. The next day, we will hold our signature annual Ice Cream Social at the Western Justice Center. Click here to register for one or both events now.
I recently received a shot in the arm, metaphorically speaking (although I will gratefully receive my updated COVID and flu shots soon). Two of our student members, Katelyn Gomez and Gabby Trujillo, decided to sponsor a voter registration drive at Pasadena High School. Both attend PHS and applied to work with us this past summer as Law and Public Service (LPS) interns. Katelyn and Gabby are hosting our volunteers on September 27 and October 4 so we can train several students in the fine art of preregistering future voters. During our visit we will review the legal aspects of voter registration and the mechanics of the process in preparation for their student-led voter registration drive. Katelyn and Gabby want to ensure that eligible students are ready to vote in the March 2024 primary. They even have plans to sponsor another voter registration drive later in the school year so that those who missed the vote in March are ready in November! We thank PHS student advisers and the administration for continually welcoming us to the campus. Learn more about the LPS Academy at https://www.pusd.us/Page/3020. It’s a wonderful program that has enriched our ranks for the past several summers.
On October 15, National Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month draws to a close. I hope you had a chance to attend the several celebrations taking place in a neighborhood near you. I was invited to attend two meaningful events at East Los Angeles College: the unveiling of the Gloria Molina Exhibition Room at the Vincent Price Museum, and a Racial Equity & Social Justice town hall, “Gloria Molina: Celebrating Her Life & Accomplishments.” I was surprised to learn just how far-reaching her political activities and influence have been and the amazing legacy she left behind after her passing on May 14, 2023. Very few of today’s East Los Angeles residents are aware of her successful fight to prevent the locating of a county jail in their neighborhood. She led a life of passion, dedication, integrity, and true worth. In this issue of the Voter, read “Reflections on Gloria Molina on Mexico’s Independence Day,” the article written by my sister, Maria Elena Yepes, for a more personal account of Gloria Molina’s impact on the Mexican American community.
Finally, a message just for our members: Keep Monday, December 11, open for our holiday celebration. Stay tuned—more to follow!
Yours in solidarity,
—Martha Y. Zavala
