Dear PWA friends,

We hope you're enjoying the last bits of summer as safely as you can in COVID season. For those with littles back in school, we see you. You got this!

This past month, we hosted a discussion on the documentary, And She Could Be Next, a look at grassroots movements across the country aimed at gaining representation in politics for historically marginalized groups in this country (namely, women of color). In the age of communication, it is difficult for social and political strife to go unnoticed. Much of our country -- young and old -- is awakening to the importance of participating in the political landscape simply because so many social and human rights issues seem to be partisan issues. It often feels like the fight for human decency is at stake, and it's hard to believe we're still being forced to take sides.

The Professional Women's Association encourages everyone who can to vote. The future depends on it. We've seen how much can change in a few short years, and how much progress gets lost when we're not looking out for each other. Luckily, California has not made it too difficult to submit your ballot this year, but you do need to make sure you've got everything in order to do so successfully and effectively. Check out Vote Safely, Santa Barbara County! to make sure your voice is heard this election season.

We'd also like to invite you to the live-streamed forums featuring upcoming local election candidates, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara next Thursday. See the "Upcoming Events" section below for details, and visit https://my.lwv.org/california/santa-barbara for more information.

If you'd like to get involved with PWA's efforts to promote the vote, reach out to us at connect-pwa@ucsb.edu!

In peace and health,

The PWA Steering Committee