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Date: 5/18/2023
Subject: LWVJoCo Update: Gun Safety, AAPI Month, and more
From: LWV of Johnson County


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Hello ~~first_name~~:

In this issue:
❤️‍🩹 Next meeting: Gun safety and public health
📅 Save the date for Juneteenth celebrations 
🥳 Celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
And more!

Gun safety impacts public health

Join us Saturday morning, June 3 for an in-person conversation around the impacts of gun safety on public health. This discussion will be led by Mark McCormick, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author. Panelists include Judy Sherry, president and founder of Grandparents for Gun Safety, and other experts on mental health and public safety.
 
This meeting is open to members and non-members like. Registration is recommended. 
 
Saturday, June 3 | 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Meadowbrook Park Clubhouse
9101 Nall Avenue, Prairie Village
 

Mark June 17 on your calendar

There are two events (so far) to celebrate Juneteenth next month:

 
The 4th Annual Advocacy & Awareness Peace March & Rally: A Juneteenth Celebration
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Gather at Overland Park City Hall at 10. March at 10:30. Rally at 11 a.m. at Thompson Park. Sponsored by the Advocacy and Awareness Group: Johnson County.
 
The 3rd Annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Harmon Park, 4 - 7 p.m. | This family event will feature an essay contest for middle and high school students, a poster contest for elementary students, bounce houses, face painting, and more. Sponsored by STAND UP for Black Lives+ Prairie Village and the Johnson County NAACP.

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month offers an opportunity to spotlight the achievements and experiences of this group. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing group in the U.S., according to a Pew research study released in 2021. They've faced discrimination in this country from the Gold Rush to World World II to the recent COVID pandemic. They've also give us leaders in politics, business, science, the arts, and entertainment.

 
Two ways you can explore and celebrate the AAPI experience include:
  1. Check out AAPICONIC: 2023 Kansas City AAPI Festival, presented by Fresh Karma. This event features vendor booths; music, dance, and other performances, and food trucks. Learn more.
  2. Pick up a book from this list of 20 books to read during AAPI Heritage Month, featured on the Kansas City Mom Collective website.

Stay engaged and informed

  
🙏🏼 Action requested
Please consider contacting your county commissioner and the county chair, Mike Kelly, to urge the creation of a Diversity Advisory Board. Click here to find out who your commissioner is and their contact information. When you reach out, please identify yourself as a LWVJoCo member. 
Need more info? Learn more here.
 
✍🏽 A veto recap
Last month, Governor Kelly vetoed the most bills in 29 years. The Legislature overrode eight of them, and failed to override seven. Kelly also issued 15 budget line-item vetoes, of which lawmakers overrode three. In case you (like this author) had a hard time keeping track, Kansas City Star published this helpful summary.
 
😔 On the ERA
The U.S. Senate failed to pass legislation to address the Equal Rights Amendment last month. The National League stated, "Today is a disappointing day for women. Our nation's elected leaders have failed yet again to see us as equal members of this democracy." Read the full statement here.
 
👀 On election deniers
The Brennan Center has published an analysis of the role election denial played in the midterms and assesses how it could continue to evolve to impact the 2024 election. This analysis includes steps that states can take to protect democracy.
 
🗳 On One Person, One Vote
This informative blog from the National League gives a history of "One Person, One Vote," why it's important, and what the challenges to equal representation are. 
 
Questions or concerns?

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