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Happy New Year
I hope you are all ready to welcome 2021! Last year I predicted that 2020 would be an extraordinary year for LWV of the Space Coast and indeed it was, but not the way I anticipated. As devastating as 2020 turned out to be there are many successes that we can celebrate as an organization:
• Working together to Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and providing voter education
• Embracing the “new normal” by transferring our scheduled monthly meetings to either conference call or Zoom platforms
• Celebrating both the 100th Anniversary of the League of Women Voters, the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the role of suffragists
• Being a participating organization in a community discussion on law enforcement
• Hosting a “Hot Topics” series focusing on gun safety, sustainability, education and protection against identity theft.
With the new year comes the opportunity to reflect on our 2020 resolutions:
1. A commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
2. Increasing Our Commitment to Voter Registration
3. Celebrating our Volunteers
As well as continuing our work from 2020, here are the resolutions I hope LWV of the Space Coast will work on in 2021:
• Revival of Observer Corps – Part of the legacy of former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill is to remind us that "All politics is local". This is definitely true in Brevard County and it is where LWV of the Space Coast can have the most impact. We will start the year by reviving this important program which will enable us to follow closely what is happening at county and city meetings.
• A new Strategic Plan – In 2017 LWV of the Space Coast worked on a strategic plan that emphasized diversity and collaborating with other nonpartisan organizations. The board decided that 2021 would be a good time to work on developing a new strategic plan. This will most probably include a reassessment of the current structure of our organization, a recommendation proposed by the 2020 bylaws committee.
Thank you to all LWV of the Space Coast members who served on committees, ran for office, worked on sustainability and environmental issues, participated in statewide zoom calls or volunteered to help with events in 2020. On behalf of the LWVSC Board, I want you to know that your efforts are deeply appreciated. Finally, a reminder that what we do as league members is important, but it should not be burdensome. So, let’s all look forward to having fun, embracing new opportunities and responsibilities, meeting new people and making friends as we prepare for the challenges ahead in 2021!
In League,
Jo Shim
LWVSC President
| Celebration of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Social Justice Committee Invitation
In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the LWVSC Social Justice Committee invites all to a discussion of racial disparities in the Brevard County justice system via Zoom on Saturday, January 16, 2021, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Our panelists will speak about their experiences representing people of color in the Brevard County courts and also about the treatment of Black Lives Matter protestors in Brevard County during this summer’s demonstrations. The panelists will answer your questions at the end of the presentation.
Our panel of experts includes Alton Edmond, Esq., a former assistant public defender and well-known criminal defense attorney in private practice who was a candidate for Brevard County Sheriff in 2020, Valeta VanTasha Cameron, Esq., an attorney with Brevard County Legal Aid, Inc., and Dr. Dedra Shiree Sibley, a former assistant public defender, a criminal defense attorney in private practice, the provost at Eastern Florida State College, and a fellow with the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership.
There is no fee for this important and timely discussion, but registration on Club Express is required.
| | Yvonne Minus
Congratulations to Yvonne Minus, LWV of the Space Coast's (LWVSC) member of the month. Yvonne is a longtime member of LWVSC and served as the 2018-2019 Nominating Committee chair. She has an impressive history of service to the community including just being re-elected for a second term representing Melbourne's District 3 on the Melbourne City Council, being elected as the Brevard League of Cities President for 2020 and serving on the Brevard Homeless Coalition Board of Directors. She is a Silver Life member of the South Brevard NAACP and received the prestigious Presidential Award on two occasions for outstanding service to the branch and the community. We are immensely proud to have Yvonne as a member of LWVSC and salute her for outstanding work in the Brevard community. | | |  | Happy New Year, Public Education Advocates!
by Fran Baer, Chair of Education Committee
If you have been following the articles on education in the Newsletter, and we certainly hope you have, you know invited guest speakers have shared the challenges and related activities our public schools are experiencing. While some of these challenges are COVID related, some are long standing inequalities and dilemmas begging for solutions.
In December representatives from the Brevard Schools Foundation presented their programs that provide direct support to teachers through private donations and private/public grants. Their mission includes inspiring great teachers with the necessary tools to engage their students in innovative projects. The Programs of Work adopted by the Education Committee and approved by League members mirror much of the goals of the Brevard Schools Foundation.
With that in mind, the Committee members spent some time at the same meeting discussing ideas for future activities designed to address the inequities and short comings of the Brevard Public Schools while recognizing and replicating the current quality programs offered our students.
The following is a list of the suggested activities:
1. Mentor a student.
2. Partner, when applicable, with the Brevard Schools Foundation.
3. Organize a Summit with like-minded organizations and individuals including youth groups.
4. Adopt a School
5. Collaborate and consolidate with other organizations.
6. Share ideas with the League of Women Voters of Florida and other county Leagues.
7. Dedicate a LWVF Friday “Lunch and Learn” to the topics under consideration.
If one or more of these suggestions inspire you, we ask that you contact a member of the Education Committee listed on Club Express, or Fran Baer, Chair, at fbaer@cfl.rr.com
It does, after all, take all our efforts to make a difference in the education of our children.
Our next meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 at 10a.m. since our usual third Wed. of the month is Inauguration Day. Please join us on Zoom.
|  | Updates and Volunteers Needed
by Susan Little, Co Chair of Natural Resources Committee
If you have not had the chance to review the Marine Resource Council Lagoon Health Report Card 2020, you should do so at https://savetheirl.org/irl-health-update/irl-report-card/. While there are some good points in this report, it serves to remind us that there is much work to do to restore our Lagoon to a healthy condition. There will be a more in depth discussion of the IRL on March 13, 2021 when the Natural Resource Committee holds a Hot Topic event on the status of the Lagoon and outlines steps that we as voters and individuals can take to aid the restoration work that is ongoing. Please visit our website and sign up to attend the Zoom meeting on March 13, 2021.
The Natural Resource Committee will hold a committee meeting on Jan. 14, 2021 where we will be discussing the program of work, the position statements, and the upcoming Hot Topic event. We would really appreciate your input on these topics and invite all members to join the Zoom meeting. Please email me(Susan Little ) at ergajn88@gmail.com for information about the Zoom link if you would like to attend.
We are also in need of a volunteer to participate in the LWVFL Natural Resource Call once a month and report back to Susan or Maureen about the call. This call is usually at 4 pm and lasts about an hour. A volunteer is also needed to monitor the monthly call for the Citizen's Oversight Committee of the Save Our Lagoon Program. This is a long meeting and two people could split this up as the business meeting is usually the first part of the meeting and the scientific project part of the meeting is the last part of the meeting. The next meeting is on Jan. 15, 2021 from 8:30 am until 11:30 am. If anyone is interested, please email me and I will provide more information.
Susan Little
Natural Resource Committee Co-Chair
|  | Let Kindness Lead the Way in 2021
by Terry Mott, Co-Chair, Sustainability Committee
As we emerge from this tumultuous year and seek a better future, one global nonprofit may help provide the hope that is needed.
Kids for Peace Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose message has now spread around the world. But part of the impact this California-based organization has had is embedded within the inspirational story about how it got started.
According to its website, in 2006, Jill McManigal, a mother of two young children, and Danielle Gram, a high school honors student, met at a neighborhood party where they realized that they both wanted to bring children together to lead the way for a better future for all.
Shortly after they met, the two gathered a small group of children in Jill’s backyard and created Kids for Peace Inc. Since both believed that youth are innately wise, they asked the children the following questions, to help create the nonprofit’s mission:
What does peace mean to you?
What do you want our world to look like?
What can you do to create the world you wish to see?
What do you want to pledge yourself to?
With its new mission, the nonprofit set out to: empower kids to create peace through hands-on service, global friendships and thoughtful acts of kindness--with children leading the way to create a safe and peaceful world where people respect and care for each other and the planet for today and for future generations.
News of the children’s work spread quickly, and requests to replicate Kids for Peace Inc. came from several neighborhoods.
Then in 2008, Kids for Peace launched an annual event called The Great Kindness Challenge to inspire students, teachers, administrators, families, and communities in creating a culture of compassion, acceptance, unity, and respect by dedicating themselves to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, using a checklist of 50 suggestions.
The Great Kindness Challenge has one checklist of kindness acts for students and an additional checklist for families. The acts are free, easy to perform, and may include something as simple as wishing someone “good morning.” However, according to comments from school administrators, teachers, students, and other participants, the impacts of the program have been significant in reducing bullying in schools and in achieving the culture of kindness that the nonprofit had hoped to create.
The Great Kindness Challenge of January 2020 boasts these results: over 15 million students from over 110 countries participated in the program, representing over 28,000 schools and over 750 million acts of kindness performed.
Kids for Peace Inc. and the global kindness movement that this nonprofit has launched reminds us that we each have the ability to change the world. We only need to remember the message behind this organization and The Great Kindness Challenge: that in all that we do Kindness Matters.
To learn more about this nonprofit and to join The Great Kindness Challenge of January 25-29, 2021, see kidsforpeaceglobal.org and https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com
| International Relations Committee Information for 2021
LWVSC International Relations Group will be using Great Decisions 2021 for their discussions. This follows many years of using this format. Great Decisions is published by the Foreign Policy Association.
The topics for 2021 are:
• Global Supply Chains and National Security
• Persian Gulf Security Issues
• Brexit and the European Union
• Struggles Over the Melting Arctic
• China’s Role in Africa
• The Korean Peninsula
• Roles of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic
• The End of Globalization?
There will be more information on these topics in the February newsletter. Publication of the 2021 book is set for early January.
Our January meeting on January 12th from 1 pm to 2:30 pm will cover the first topic, Global Supply Chains and National Security moderated by Martha Bradshaw.
We invite you to join us. If you are not presently in our data base for these meetings, please e-mail Joyce Calese calese37@gmail.com, Chair of the International Relations Committee. | Barbara Whitley
Barbara was president of LWVSC from 2011-2013
Connie Hogerty
Connie served on the board as Treasurer and Membership Chair | | Welcome New Member
Kaye K. Heasley
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Volunteers Needed
Science Fair Judges are needed to judge one or more of the three 2021 Brevard Regional Science and Engineering Fairs that will be conducted on selected dates from January 30 through February 20, 2021. Most of the judging will be virtual. If you're interested and would like additional information, please contact Terry Mott at terrymott93@gmail.com.
| | | January 2021 LWVSC Zoom Meetings
Tuesday, January 5th Board Meeting 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 9th Sustainability Committee's Webinar Series :Urban Forestry: Finding the Green in the Gray 3 pm to 4:30 pm
Tuesday, January 12th International Relations Committee Meeting 1 pm to 2:30 pm
Thursday, January 14th Natural Resources Committee Meeting 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Saturday, January 16th LWVSC Virtual Social Media Meeting 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Saturday, January 16th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Panel Discussion 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Monday, January 18th Social Justice Committee Meeting 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 21st Education Committee Meeting 10:00 am to 12:00pm
Wednesday, January 27th New Members Orientation 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 30th Meet & Greet – LWVFL Legislative Priorities, Open Primaries,
& NPV (National Popular Vote) 2:30 pm to 4 pm
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