Join CivicLex and the League of Women Voters to meet with candidates running for a council seat in districts 1, 4, and 7! This is an unstructured event, with each candidate at their own table to allow attendees to approach them either individually or in small groups at their leisure. You can learn more about each candidate on LexVote.

The League of Women Voters will be available for voter registration and information on voting in Kentucky. Food will be provided and this event is free and open to the public!

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!

Join the Lexington League of Women Voters Board members at our monthly meeting to learn more about the League’s activities in our community. Although this is a business meeting, this is the easiest way to find out about all of the exciting things that are happening, meet other members and become part of the action! All meetings are open to all members and potential members of the League of Women Voters. The meeting usually occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

The meeting will occur via Zoom.

From The Village Square:

“There’s certainly no shortage of people to blame long-distance for the tragically divisive state of our civic life in America. But if the project of human community ultimately begins where we act with respect and decency toward our fellow man, it’s possible that more of the power and responsibility for our societal fractures may be located right where we live our lives.  Yet it’s easy to confuse plain old niceness with the deepest underpinnings of respect necessary to shepherd us through our divided times.

“While our special guest Alexandra O. Hudson, author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” finds the challenges to civility today dire, she thinks they’re not new — and they’re most definitely not about being more polite. Lexi brings a deep and fresh appreciation for the wisdom of the ages to the moment we’re in, from Socrates and Confucius to more contemporary thinkers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Henry David Thoreau. She joins forces with these heavyweights, along with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of our understanding of civility through the ages. We hope you’ll join us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it’s necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species.

“This program is presented live via Zoom and Facebook Live and made possible by Florida Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.”

Please join the League of Women Voters of Lexington on Saturday, March 16, from 2-4pm a performance to commemorate Women’s History Month. Along with Kentucky Humanities and the Lexington Public Library, we are excited to host Janet Scott portraying Mary Carson Breckinridge and Mary Settles.

Mary Carson Breckinridge (1881-1965) founded Frontier Nursing Service.

Mary Settles (1835-1923) was the last member of the Shaker community at Pleasant Hill, where she lived for 64 years.

For questions, please email Zitsi Mirakhur: zitsi.mirakhur@lwvlexington.com. 

From Kentucky Humanities: Since its beginning in 1992, Kentucky Chautauqua® has brought to life more than 70 people from Kentucky's past - both famous and unknown. Chautauqua performers travel to schools and community organizations throughout the state delivering historically accurate dramatizations of Kentuckians who made valuable contributions.

From the News Literacy Project:

As we navigate the 2024 election, are we being informed or influenced? This webinar will teach skills for identifying credible election information. We will learn how to evaluate the purpose of the information sources share, how to identify common misinformation trends and forms of bias, and how to prioritize finding credible sources.

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!

From Campaign Legal Center:

For many Americans, the freedom to vote is unfairly conditioned on where they live, the color of their skin or how much money they have.

Several amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been passed over the decades extending this fundamental freedom to voters of color, women and citizens who are 18 years of age. However, the lack of an overarching amendment guaranteeing the right to vote leaves our democracy vulnerable. This is because the freedom to vote is treated differently depending on where voters live and how courts handle disputes over their rights. 

In his latest book, “A Real Right to Vote,” UCLA Law Professor Rick Hasen explains why a constitutional amendment is necessary and why now is the time to begin a campaign in support of such an amendment. 

As Professor Hasen explains, enshrining voting rights in the Constitution will benefit all Americans, no matter which side of the political aisle they sit on. 

On Thursday, February 29 at 3:00 PM ET, in discussion with Campaign Legal Center President Trevor Potter, Professor Rick Hasen will describe his vision for a constitutional amendment protecting the freedom to vote, its potential impact on our democracy and why he believes it’s possible to pass such an amendment, despite a challenging political climate. 

Join the Lexington League of Women Voters Board members at our monthly meeting to learn more about the League’s activities in our community. Although this is a business meeting, this is the easiest way to find out about all of the exciting things that are happening, meet other members and become part of the action! All meetings are open to all members and potential members of the League of Women Voters. The meeting usually occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

The meeting will occur via Zoom.

Join CivicLex to learn about the city’s budget and play a round of The Price is Right based on actual budget items!

There will be food, city staff to answer questions, and prizes!

This event will be in the UK Cornerstone space, located at 401 S Limestone.

Bring big ideas and action plans! The League of Women Voters of Lexington will be making goals and plans for the upcoming fiscal year that starts in July. Join this 2-hour planning session on Zoom. Fun and prizes and of course, plans for defending democracy and empowering voters. Bring a friend and let’s do this!

Join the League of Women Voters' Book Club. Everyone is welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. There is sure to be interesting discussion and will leave learning something new! This group meets online.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein.

With Black History Month in February, our book selection gives background history on redlining in the United States and how it continues to affect African Americans in our country. Our Lexington LWV will highlight redlining in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Color of Law: This “powerful and disturbing history” exposes how American governments deliberately imposed racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide (New York Times Book Review).

Widely heralded as a “masterful” (Washington Post) and “essential” (Slate) history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law offers “the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation” (William Julius Wilson). Exploding the myth of de facto segregation arising from private prejudice or the unintended consequences of economic forces, Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods. A groundbreaking, “virtually indispensable” study that has already transformed our understanding of twentieth-century urban history (Chicago Daily Observer), The Color of Law forces us to face the obligation to remedy our unconstitutional past. 

Join the League of Women Voters' Book Club. Everyone is welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. There is sure to be interesting discussion and will leave learning something new! This group meets online.

For this Book Club meeting, readers have a choice of TWO books about Mary Todd Lincoln. The first is Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography by Jean H. Baker. “In a thriving cottage industry of Lincoln studies Baker’s readable and sympathetic biography is easily the definitive account of the troubled First Lady.” - Library Journal.  The second book, The True Mary Todd Lincoln, is written by a writer from Lexington, Betty Boles Ellison, a member of the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation, who was involved in the restoration and operation of her girlhood home. Both are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. However, you will probably learn about Mrs. Lincoln if you come for conversation. Everyone is welcome!

Empowering our Democracy in 2024!

On our 104th anniversary, we're coming together in community to remember our great leader Dr. Deborah Ann Turner and honor the work of Leagues past and future.

LWV and a panel of guest speakers will turn an eye to the power of young voters, who will carry our work into 2024 and beyond.

This event will be live streamed on Facebook Live.

Speakers

• Nile Blass DMV Regional Organizer LWVUS

• Alma Couverthie Chief of Programs LWVUS

• Jada Hunter President LWV of Samford College (AL)

• Bianca Rosales Associate Director of Partnerships, Students Lead, Students Vote

• Iesha Young VA Engagement Manager Young Invincibles

From The Village Square:

“What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization’s technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we’ve come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?

“Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time...

“The program includes a preview of Haidt’s highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March.

“This program is presented live via Zoom and Facebook Live and made possible by Florida Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.”

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!

From Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Together, Kentuckians can build a healthy democracy where everyone’s voice counts – no exceptions. Right now, about 200,000 Kentuckians with felonies in their past still can’t vote and that’s just not right.

Join us in Frankfort at the capitol on February 13th to restore voting rights to Kentuckians with felonies in their past. We'll meet at 9am in the Capitol Annex to train and break into small teams and have conversations with legislators throughout the day, then we'll gather at 1:00pm in the rotunda for a rally led by people directly impacted by this issue, telling their stories.

Join us for just the rally, or hopefully for the whole day.

Bring a photo ID to get into the building and try to arrive early. We encourage people to bring and wear masks. We’ll have extra masks available.

If you have one, please consider wearing a shirt lifting up whatever organization you want to be supporting that day. Wear comfortable shoes too, but otherwise travel light (they're likely to take umbrellas at security, etc.).

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. We'll start with a training and lobby teams will be made up of a mix of people who are brand new to this and others who have been doing it for years!

Schedule for the day

Arrive early with ID to get through security (might take 30 minutes to get through) 9-10:30 Lobby training. We’ll break into lobby teams and train. 10:30-1:20 lobbying, lunch, etc. 12:45 Go over to the Capitol rally through the tunnel in the basement 1:00-2:00 Rally in the rotunda Group picture Drop off ask at Beshear’s office (next to the rotunda) 2:15pm Debrief in Capitol Annex

Parking and directions. We'll start the day at the Capitol Annex, 702 Capital Ave, Frankfort, KY 40601

The Capitol parking structure is at 861 Old Lawrenceburg Rd, Frankfort, KY 40601 and that might be the best place to park. You can also access the parking lot from the top next to the annex. Levels 5 and 6 or the surface are open to anyone. There's also street parking in the vicinity.

Meal tickets for lunch will be available for those who need it. Reach out to Heather Mahoney at heather@kftc.org or find her in the annex cafeteria between 10:30 and 1 on February 13 to receive your ticket (she’ll be wearing a name tag).

Event is sponsored by Kentucky Voting Rights Coalition including: - Kentuckians For The Commonwealth - Kentucky Council of Churches - Lexington-Fayette NAACP - Kentucky Black Caucus/Local Elected Officials (KBC/LEO) - Kentucky Unitarian Universalist Justice Action Network (KUUJAN) - All of Us or None Kentucky - Life Coach Each One Teach One Reentry Fellowship - People Advocating Recovery - Dream.org - VOCAL Kentucky - ABLE (Advocacy Based on Lived Experience) - Fairness Campaign - Black Lives Matter, Louisville - IUE-CWA - League of Women Voters of Kentucky - Shepherd’s House - The Interfaith Alliance of the Bluegrass - Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice - Kentucky Mental Health Coalition - KY Poor People’s Campaign - Kentucky Women’s Network - Free Nyame - ACLU of Kentucky - United We Stand - Showing Up for Racial Justice, Kentucky - Progress Kentucky - Louisville Urban League - Together Frankfort - Kentucky Equal Justice Center - Scott County/Georgetown NAACP branch

Accessibility

• Wheelchair ramp

• Dedicated parking spots

• Have accessibility questions? Reply to your registration email to confirm your requirements or request more information

About this event

The most powerful voices in our campaign to win the right to vote of Kentuckians with felonies in the past are people who themselves lost the right to vote. Our stories are powerful and have the ability to move hearts, minds, and policy. We'll come together to better learn how to tell our stories, and hear from leaders with felonies in their past how they talk about the issue. Sponsored by ABLE (Advocacy Based on Lived Experience) and KFTC (Kentuckians For The Commonwealth).

Accessibility

• Live captioning

Have accessibility questions? Reply to your registration email to confirm your requirements or request more information.

From the Kentucky Non-Profit Network

Join us at the 17th annual KY Nonprofit Day at the Capitol: Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

Join your colleagues from across the Commonwealth for the sector’s day of advocacy in Frankfort. We’ll celebrate the 2023 advocacy successes of our members and the legislators/officials championing their issues and rally in the Capitol Rotunda – unveiling new data on the economic and employment importance of the sector, as well as urging legislators to support the sector’s 2024 priority: grants and contracts reform. We hope to see you there!

Agenda: 

• Morning:  Available to schedule visits with legislators. Click here to find your legislator and request your appointment ASAP. 

• 10:00am: Check in/Registration - House Chamber

• 10:15-11:30am: Nonprofit Advocacy Awards Program - House Chamber

• 11:30am-12:30pm:  Available for lunch on your own and/or meetings with legislators. Click here to find your legislator and request your appointment ASAP. 

• 12:30-1:30pm: More Than Charity Press Conference - Capitol Rotunda

• 1:30pm: Group Photo - Capitol Rotunda

• 2:00-3:00pm: Check in/Recap - Capitol Conference Room 327. Share the results of your visits with legislators with the KNN team. (Depends upon day-of availability of Conference Room.)

Important Reminders:

• If you plan to meet with your legislators on February 7 (see suggested windows of time above), make appointments NOW. Click here to access KNN's 2024 Public Policy page, which includes a link to find your legislator and their contact info.

• What are the sector's legislative priorities for this session? Click here for a recap from a recent Virtual Town Hall Meeting and check out the priorities and other resources here.

• Join us for a Prepping for KY Nonprofit Day at the Capitol call on Thursday, February 1 from 11am-noon, to learn how to make the most of your day. Click here to register for that free call.

Day at the Capitol Registration Details:  

• Registration deadline: Tuesday, February 6 at 9:30am ET

• Not yet a KNN member? Join KNN prior to online registration to take advantage of our members-only registration fee AND to be sure your nametag at the event proudly displays a member ribbon!

• Please note: There are no refunds of registration fees. Registrations may be transferred to another participant at the same organization free of charge. Should you need to transfer registration, please emailus@kynonprofits.org and let us know the name and email address of the individual who will attend in your absence.

Pricing
KNN Members: $30
Potential Members: $45

Join Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) in Frankfort at the capitol to restore voting rights to Kentuckians with felonies in their past. We'll break into small teams and have conversations with legislators throughout the day.

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. We'll start with a training and lobby teams will be made up of a mix of people who are brand new to this and others who have been doing it for years!

We'll meet up in the Capitol Annex cafeteria at 9am.

This webinar is a basic introduction to Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC)’s campaign to restore voting rights of Kentuckians with felonies in their past. You'll learn about the history of this issue, how we're working on it, and lots of different ways to plug in.

Sponsored by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and cosponsored by Hood to the Holler and the Voter Engagement Brigade.

Join CivicLex for a free pancake breakfast!Learn about what City Council has been up torecently, the ways you can get involved, andconnect with community members over issuesyou care about in Lexington.

The event will be on Saturday, January 27th from 9am-noon at the Woodhill Community Center in Council District 7.

CivicLex will be making and serving pancakes, as well as giving a short presentation about our work and about some of the big topics that City Council covered in this last session. There will be opportunities for members of the public to meet and engage with their neighbors about the issues that impact them, as well as a mutual aid program, and activities for children.

Join the Lexington League of Women Voters Board members at our monthly meeting to learn more about the League’s activities in our community. Although this is a business meeting, this is the easiest way to find out about all of the exciting things that are happening, meet other members and become part of the action! All meetings are open to all members and potential members of the League of Women Voters. The meeting usually occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

The meeting will occur via Zoom.

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Currently Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!

Join the Lexington League of Women Voters Board members at our monthly meeting to learn more about the League’s activities in our community. Although this is a business meeting, this is the easiest way to find out about all of the exciting things that are happening, meet other members and become part of the action! All meetings are open to all members and potential members of the League of Women Voters. The meeting usually occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

The meeting will occur via Zoom.

Join the League of Women Voter’s Book Club. Everyone is welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. There is sure to be interesting discussion and will leave learning something new! This group meets online.

We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves along racial, religious, and cultural lines, leading to a level of polarization that the country hasn’t seen since the Civil War. Pundits and politicians are calling for us to come together and find common purpose. But how, exactly, can this be done?

In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: the libraries, childcare centers, churches, and parks where crucial connections are formed. Interweaving his own research with examples from around the globe, Klinenberg shows how “social infrastructure” is helping to solve some of our most pressing societal challenges. Richly reported and ultimately uplifting, Palaces for the People offers a blueprint for bridging our seemingly unbridgeable divides.

Help plan the League’s Community Forums, which address topical issues in Lexington.

Currently Committee Meetings are held virtually, so rest assured that you can fully participate, safely from the comfort of your home!