Programming and Events Calendar
This is an important component of what the Women's Fund does to advance equity for women through philanthropy. Each gathering is designed to provide information, connect people, create conversations and inspire action.
Our programming creates opportunity for people to convene around important issues that impact women. Our Community Talk Backs and Community Book Reads assemble diverse groups of people, facilitate engaging and dynamic inter-generational conversation. These experiences create discussion and group gatherings designed to challenge our thinking, adjust our attitude, influence our behavior, and change culture. We do this in support of ALL women in Greater Milwaukee.
Book Discussion, The Feminine Mystique
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 | 5:30 – 7 PM
BOOK HOST: MAGGIE DAUN
Corporation Counsel, Milwaukee County
“Why read The Feminine Mystique today? In short, knowing where we came from ensures that we end up where we want – and need – to go. Yes, parts of the Feminine Mystique are dated after 50 years, but within its pages, we can still appreciate that Friedan gave name and voice to the deep dissatisfaction with the pigeon hole women in the 1950s were crammed down into. Her book is riddled with prophecy, both intended and unintended, still relevant today … the fallacy that a woman can ‘have it all,’ the obvious exclusion of the black female experience in Friedan’s discussion of feminism, the danger of our current ‘courage culture’ and what that all means in an increasingly diverse workplace and world.
We must be able to take up our catalyzing sisters and thinkers of the past, including Friedan, courageously discuss their work, its value, and its flaws, and then use that to propel the modern feminist movement beyond “MeToo” and hashtags, into lasting institutional change that elevates, celebrates, and supports the value of all women, Black, Brown, Trans, Asian … all of us … in all places and spaces. We will engage this book with reference to more modern thinkers like bell hooks, to keep the movement moving ever forward.”
About Maggie: Margaret “Maggie” Daun is the Chief Corporation Counsel for Milwaukee County. Serving in that capacity since 2017, Maggie supervises a staff of over 25 professionals. Together, the Office of Corporation Counsel provides civil legal services to all departments and elected officials in Milwaukee County, including the Sheriff’s Office, General Mitchell International Airport, the County’s behavioral health hospital, the County parks, its transportation system, the County Zoo, its jail and house of correction, the courts, human resources, the pension system. They also advise and assist with negotiation and drafting economic development transactions, general public policy matters, operational policies, legislation. Finally, the OCC defends and prosecutes all civil matters involving Milwaukee County and provides various community-facing legal services including guardianship and psychological commitment proceedings.
In March 2018, Ms. Daun filed suit against opioid manufacturers and distributors on behalf of Milwaukee County, and in doing so, helped to lead a wave of local governments nationwide pursuing similar lawsuits. In the 187-page complaint brought against 13 entities, the County seeks injunctive relief, as well as millions in compensatory damages. This case led to a first-in-state-history $71 million settlement with opioid distributors for Milwaukee County, announced in December 2021. These moneys, as well as future settlements with manufacturers, pharmacies, the Sackler Family, and its global consultant, McKinsey & Co. in coming years, will save countless lives in Milwaukee County and beyond.
Prior to joining the County, Ms. Daun worked the City of Milwaukee where she was first an Assistant City Attorney and then ran the City’s nearly $2 billion award-winning deferred compensation plan. Before that, she worked for two global law firms, White & Case LLP in New York City and Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago, where she specialized in the defense of securities fraud claims and other complex class action and commercial litigation matters. She also maintains a private legal practice, where she advises small to medium-sized businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, Ohio, and New York.
Outside of her work as an attorney, Ms. Daun is a frequently sought-after speaker on a wide variety of topics, including managing organizational change, the opioid epidemic, finance and economics, leadership, pensions and retirement planning, diversity and inclusion, and career planning, among other issues. She has appeared on the nationally syndicated television program Fox & Friends, as well as nationally syndicated and local television and radio programs on a wide variety of topics. For over two years, she also hosted a weekly Milwaukee- and Madison-broadcasted talk radio show, “Daun of the Resistance,” on 101.7 FM and 92.7 FM WRRD, respectively, where she provided detailed legal explanations of current events and public policy issues in a format that aims to entertain, educate, and elicit informed debate. In 2020, she was awarded the Wisconsin Broadcaster Association’s Large Market First Place Award for Best Interview.
ABOUT THE BOOK THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE
The book that changed the consciousness of a country―and the world.
Landmark, groundbreaking, classic―these adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and long-lasting effects of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. This is the book that defined “the problem that has no name,” that launched the Second Wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with its insights into social relations, which still remain fresh, ever since. A national bestseller, with over 1 million copies sold.
About the Author: Betty Friedan (1921–2006), a transformational leader of the women’s movement, founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and authored many works, including The Second Stage, The Fountain of Age, and Life So Far.
Book summary derived from Amazon
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.
Friday, May 20, 2022 ~ OPENING NIGHT
WF Private Reception at 6 – 7:15 PM
Performance from 7:30 – 9 PM
Annually we organize an evening to experience theater together. Whether you come with someone or meet up with the WF community, you are welcome! Purchase your discounted ticket (now available until further notice) via phone with Renaissance Theaterworks. Already have a ticket to the show? Consider exchanging your ticket and join us.
How to purchase tickets online:
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To purchase tickets online, visit R-T-W.com, select ROSE from the Home page.
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Scroll down to select Friday, May 20, 2022 and you’ll see the seating chart.
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At the very bottom find “Enter a promotion code here if you have one.”
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Use Promo Code: WFCM5 and click Apply Code.
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The screen refreshes and shows seats marked with a W reserved for your group.
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Select your seats and follow prompts to continue.
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The discount will be applied on the final checkout page.
Book Discussion, Notorious RBG
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 4 – 5:30 PM (This is the date RBG officially accepted the Supreme Count nomination in 1993)
BOOK HOST: JOANNE WILLIAMS
Reason I want to read/discuss “The Notorious RBG”: Why the hell not??!!
About Joanne: Her career began in high school when she hosted the teen talk show on Milwaukee’s WAWA Radio. Two weeks after graduating with honors in film from Northwestern University, she started working for WTMJ TV in Milwaukee. In 1973, Joanne and Pete Wilson started The Morning Scene – the first 30-minute, early morning TV newscast in Milwaukee.
That was followed by several years at WGN in Chicago as a reporter, writer and part-time weathercaster.
She returned as WITI’s Community Relations Director in 1978, producing many projects, including “The Disabled Are Able”, which was nominated for a daytime Emmy. In 1982, Joanne returned to the WITI newsroom and wore many hats as reporter, anchor and producer during her tenure. Over the years, Joanne hosted live call-in programs, town hall meetings, and participated in thousands of community events on behalf of FOX6.
She was the host and segment producer for Milwaukee Public Television’s “Black Nouveau” which won a regional EMMY in 2018. She has won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists in 2012 and won the Bronze award from the Milwaukee Press Club for Best Documentary or new special for the program “Harry Kemp: The Photography Man”.
Joanne was a regional director on the board of the National Association of Black Journalists, a founding member of the Wisconsin Black Media Association, past president of the Milwaukee Press Club and has served on many boards and committees of agencies in Milwaukee. She is a member of the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame. and a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle honoree in 2009. In 2014 the Milwaukee Business Journal honored her as a Woman of Influence for her inspiration to others.
In her “retirement” Joanne has worked with United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County and has become associated with Milwaukee Film as an independent documentary filmmaker, currently producing, writing and directing “The Exchange. In White America. Kaukauna & King: 50 Years Later”.
ABOUT THE BOOK NOTORIOUS RBG
“It was beyond my wildest imagination that I would one day become the ‘Notorious RBG.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2019
She was a fierce dissenter with a serious collar game. A legendary, self-described “flaming feminist litigator” who made the world more equal. And an intergenerational icon affectionately known as the Notorious RBG. As the nation mourns the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, discover the story of a remarkable woman and learn how to carry on her legacy.
This runaway bestseller, brought to you by the attorney founder of the Notorious RBG Tumblr and an award-winning feminist journalist, is more than just a love letter. It draws on intimate access to Ginsburg’s family members, close friends, colleagues, and clerks, as well as an interview with the Justice herself. An original hybrid of reported narrative, annotated dissents, rare archival photos and documents, and illustrations, the book tells a never-before-told story of an unusual and transformative woman who transcended divides and changed the world forever.
Book summary derived from Harper Collins
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.
Book Discussion, The Purpose of Power, How We Come Together When We Fall Apart
Wednesday, JULY 27, 2022 | 5 – 6:30 PM
BOOK HOST: KATE STRASSMAN
ABOUT THE BOOK:
“The Purpose of Power,” is an inspirational, straight-talking book about how we can change things in our society. It’s the wake-up call we all need.
An essential guide to building transformative movements to address the challenges of our time, from one of the country’s leading organizers and a co-creator of Black Lives Matter
“Excellent and provocative . . . a gateway [to] urgent debates.”—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY Time • Marie Claire • Kirkus Reviews
In 2013, Alicia Garza wrote what she called “a love letter to Black people” on Facebook, in the aftermath of the acquittal of the man who murdered seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin. Garza wrote:
Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.
With the speed and networking capacities of social media, #BlackLivesMatter became the hashtag heard ’round the world. But Garza knew even then that hashtags don’t start movements—people do.
Long before #BlackLivesMatter became a rallying cry for this generation, Garza had spent the better part of two decades learning and unlearning some hard lessons about organizing. The lessons she offers are different from the “rules for radicals” that animated earlier generations of activists, and diverge from the charismatic, patriarchal model of the American civil rights movement. She reflects instead on how making room amongst the woke for those who are still awakening can inspire and activate more people to fight for the world we all deserve.
This is the story of one woman’s lessons through years of bringing people together to create change. Most of all, it is a new paradigm for change for a new generation of changemakers, from the mind and heart behind one of the most important movements of our time.
Book summary derived from Amazon
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.
Book Discussion, Purposeful Hustle
Tuesday, AUGUST 10, 2022 | 5:30 – 7 PM
BOOK HOST: ASHTON HENRY
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Purposeful Hustle helps you answer the question: “How do I use my talents, skills, and resources to create a greater impact?”To be an effective change maker, you have to blend intentional thought (Purpose) with intentional action (Hustle). When engaging in Purposeful Hustle, you are directing your life’s work toward intentionally making a positive impact in the world. Therefore, a Purposeful Hustler is someone who exists in the world with the ultimate goal of creating change!Storytelling is used throughout the book as a way to bring essential lessons and concepts to life. You will be given action-oriented reflection questions at the end of each chapter, in addition to practical tools that are aimed at putting intention into motion.In addition to walking you through a step by step guide to Naming your Purpose, Deanna will teach you how to build the four competencies that every Purposeful Hustler needs! In order to have a meaningful impact, a Purposeful Hustler needs to be courageous! Are you afraid of losing your title, prestige, and/or the comfort of your current standing? After identifying what is holding you back from living a purposeful life, you will learn the steps to plan a fear mitigation strategy and will also discover how to stomp out fear in real time. Change stems from curiosity! Do you feel as though you do not have the required knowledge or skills to enact change? Sometimes the quest for knowledge can become an inhibitor. In Purposeful Hustle, you will be given the tools to recognize what you already know, close your knowledge and skill gaps, ask for help, and strengthen your intellect. Resiliency is necessary if you are to live out your purpose every day! When purpose guides our lives, we have to follow it, even through failure. But are you afraid of failure? Lessons about failure and overcoming obstacles are brought to life and you will learn how to meet failure head-on with strategies you can use to surmount it. NOW is the time to leap into a life of meaning! Three of the most common excuses for not living a purposeful life include not having a well-developed plan, lacking money, or feeling short on time. Purposeful Hustle dismantles the assumptions you may have about personal resources and shows you how to work with an incomplete plan, little money, and scarce time by providing real and immediately applicable techniques.
Book summary derived from Amazon
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.
Book Discussion, Lakota Women
Thursday, September 22, 2022 | 5 – 6 PM
Hosted by Starla Thompson: “My work as an educator, scholar, dancer, advocate, and mother is directly influenced by my lived experiences as a Potawatomi woman born and raised in Chicago, ancestral Potawatomi land. I am an enrolled member of the Forest County Band of Potawatomi that resides in northern Wisconsin. A long line of matriarch relatives, who survived removal, assimilation (boarding schools), relocation, and other federal policies aimed at our genocide, impact my work, power my passion for truth, and inspire my commitment to healing in all communities. Deepening the understanding of my native culture has been a treasured gift.”
Mary Brave Bird grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in a one-room cabin without running water or electricity. With her white father gone, she was left to endure “half-breed” status amid the violence, machismo, and aimless drinking of life on the reservation. Rebelling against all this—as well as a punishing Catholic missionary school—she became a teenage runaway.
Mary was eighteen and pregnant when the rebellion at Wounded Knee happened in 1973. Inspired to take action, she joined the American Indian Movement to fight for the rights of her people. Later, she married Leonard Crow Dog, the AIM’s chief medicine man, who revived the sacred but outlawed Ghost Dance.
Originally published in 1990, Lakota Woman was a national bestseller and winner of the American Book Award. It is a story of determination against all odds, of the cruelties perpetuated against American Indians, and of the Native American struggle for rights. Working with Richard Erdoes, one of the twentieth century’s leading writers on Native American affairs, Brave Bird recounts her difficult upbringing and the path of her fascinating life.
Book summary derived from Amazon
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.
Book Discussion, When Everything Changed
Thursday, October 13, 2022 | 5:30 – 7 PM
BOOK HOSTS: AMY MUEHLBAUER AND NANCY PETERSON
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when most American women had to get their husbands’ permission to apply for a credit card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton’s historic presidential campaign. This was a time of cataclysmic change, when, after four hundred years, expectations about the lives of American women were smashed in just a generation.
A comprehensive mix of oral history and Gail Collins’s keen research — covering politics, fashion, popular culture, economics, sex, families, and work — When Everything Changed is the definitive book on five crucial decades of progress. The enormous strides made since 1960 include the advent of the birth control pill, the end of “Help Wanted — Male” and “Help Wanted — Female” ads, and the lifting of quotas for women in admission to medical and law schools. Gail Collins describes what has happened in every realm of women’s lives, partly through the testimonies of both those who made history and those who simply made their way.
Picking up where her highly lauded book America’s Women left off, When Everything Changed is a dynamic story, told with the down-to-earth, amusing, and agenda-free tone for which this beloved New York Times columnist is known.
Older readers, men and women alike, will be startled as they are reminded of what their lives once were — Father Knows Best and My Little Margie on TV; daily weigh-ins for stewardesses; few female professors; no women in the Boston marathon, in combat zones, or in the police department. Younger readers will see their history in a rich new way. It has been an era packed with drama and dreams — some dashed and others realized beyond anyone’s imagining.
Book summary derived from Amazon
Register Below:
Your registration and attendance certify that you are following these requirements.
In an effort to create a safe environment, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee adopted a COVID policythat requires all attendees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing symptoms or have had recent contact with someone who has COVID or COVID symptoms, please refrain from attending events/meetings in person.
If your status regarding COVID changes ahead of an event/meeting, please contact Lisa Attonito, Executive Director, to discuss participation options. Lattonito@womensfundmke.org or 414-290-7350.