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Business and Professional Women's Monday Minute
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International day of friendship, July 30
The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.
Even if we only see each other once or twice a year, I appreciate all of your friendship. We are a diverse group of people that can do great things.
Thank you all for your efforts, big of small, toward the collective goal of achieving equality for women in the workplace.
Forging Forward,
Margaret
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Editor's
Note
Happy July,
I hope you had a restful 4th of July weekend. As we get into mid-summer, don't forget to enjoy any vacation or staycation you can afford.
If you are going to NFBPWC or any other conferences, please be safe. If there are Zoom options and you cannot travel and are able to take advantage please do.
We are in the rejuvenation season, so do what you need to for your own personal rejuvvenation.
So, if you want to send anything to be published, please contact me by the end of the month for the next issues from now on at angelbpw1719@gmail.com.
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Announcements Around BPW
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BPW/Michigan
Schedule of Events
2026-27 Schedule
Happy Hour Thursdays (3rd Thursdays of the Month)
Fall Board - November 7, 2026
Virtual Spring Board - March 18, 2027
State Convention - May 1, 2027
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BPW Local Meeting Dates
If you are interested in
travelling to a local BPW meeting in your are or another part of Michigan, please be mindful of their meeting, dates
and times.
Albion BPW - Meets at a local restaurant at
5:30pm on the 4th Monday of the month..
Ionia - Meets 2nd Monday, noon
Jackson BPW - Jackson BPW meets on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at the Cascade
Manor House in Jackson Michigan from noon - 1:15 p.m.
Keweenaw - Meets 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm
Wayne - Meets 4th Tuesday 6pm to 7:30pm at the Wayne Public Library
West Branch - Meets 2nd Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
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BPW/Michigan would like to honor the following birthdays:
July Birthdays
10 - Heather Leszczynski, Jackson
19 - Johanna Betts, Keweenaw
20 - Pamela Manor, Jackson
22 - Donald D. Crawford, Affiliate
28 - Mary Ann Ellis, Wayne
31 - Darlyne Rozenbaum, Wayne
If you want your birthday to be recognized, make sure to write it down when you renew or apply for membership. You just might get a nice card out of it. Also please update your membership chair of any birthdays or updates.
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As quoted from President Margaret (above):
"We need your membership forms sent electronically to our membership chair Sandy (dadmomashben@yahoo.com) and a list of who those members are, with what they are paying (could be a duos duo situation), along with your entire locals dues sent as one check* to our treasurer Kathy (yes we just elected a new treasurer but until she is able to set up signatures on the accounts, Kathy is our gal).
*Affiliates, please electronically send your form to Sandy and payment to Kathy."
Membership form link download.
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If you have any photos to contribute for any events, sent them to angelbpw1719@gmail.com. |
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Happy Hour is taking a break this summer.
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Affiliate Liaison Updates
If you are an affiliate or know of one, please contact Sue Oser. at angelbpw1719@gmail.com. Right now, most of our communication will be VIA email unless we need to meet or decide to get together when we can.
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Please keep those BPW sisters in your thoughts and prayers who are sick, struggling or otherwise. Take care of yourselves, your family, and each other. Check in on those older members and keep in touch in all forms of communication.
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BPW members -
We continue to get messages phishing for you to buy gift cards and other items. The messages are pretending to
be me or others on the EC, but if you look closely you’ll see it is not originating from my email address or
those of our EC members.
Don’t reply or do anything with those email messages - delete them.
It has been a problem of ours for years.
The lesson is that we should always read the email address when you’re asked to do something that seems odd.
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If you have any photos to contribute for any events, sent them to angelbpw1719@gmail.com. |
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NFBPWC NEWS
The National Federation
of Business and Professional Women's clubs (NFBPWC) develops the business, professional and leadership potential of
women on all levels through education, advocacy, networking, mentoring, skill building and economic empowerment
programs and projects.
The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs (NFBPWC) of the United States of America is an
affiliate of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, which spans across five regions and
over 110 countries of the world. In 2017 we celebrated 98 years of empowering women through our mission which is to
develop the business, professional and leadership potential of women on all levels through education, advocacy,
mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects.
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Theme for 2024-2026: Connecting Locally, Uniting
Nationally, Igniting Globally
NFBPWC Executive Committee (2024-2026):
Barbara Bozeman, President
Maria DeSousa, VP Membership
Emily VanVleck, VP Advocacy
Nermin Ahmad, Secretary
Dr. Jo Naylor, Treasurer
Bryn Norrie, Young BPW
Megan Shellman-Rickard, Immediate Past President
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Share your NFBPWC Magazine—share YOUR BPW
https://www.nfbpwc.org/emagazine
1. Post this link to the magazine page of the NFBPWC website wherever you share about your local organization: on your website, on your Instagram, on your Facebook page, on your TicToc.
2. Add it to the end of your club’s email signature and your own.
3. Add it to all your personal social media accounts as well
Next month’s theme is WOMEN’S EQUALITY • Have you had to fight for the rights or privileges your male counterparts received as a matter of course? What did you do? How did it turn out? • Have you benefited from the advocacy, work, or sacrifice made by women who came before you? How? • What have you navigated that you hope the women coming up behind you will not have to deal with? Please take a minute to share your thoughts with your NFBPWC sisters by emailing them to magazine@NFBPWC.org.
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National Board Meetings
July 7, 2026 5:00 pm PDT / 8:00 pm EDT
NFBPWC Board of Directors Meeting (Open to All BPW Members)
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1st Tuesdays of the Month 5:00 pm PDT / 8:00 pm EDT Executive Committee Meetings (EC Only)
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International
BPW News
What is BPW
International?
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) was founded by Dr.
Lena Madesin Phillips in 1930.
BPW International is one of the most influential international networks of business and professional
women with affiliates in over 100 countries in five continents. Its members include influential women
leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, professionals and young business and professional
women.
Mission:
BPW develops the professional, business and leadership potential of women through skill building,
networking advocacy, mentoring around the world.
For Online BPW news,
please visit BPW International web site www.bpw-international.org, International Federation of
Business and Professional Women’s Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BPWinternational2020 and BPW
International’s Facebook www.facebook.com/BPW.international.
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INTERCONTINENTAL Coffee Chat
There will be no speaker. We offer you to meet each other in different breakout rooms for free conversations. Your hosts will be the members the BPW International "INTERCONTINENTAL Mobility” Task Force team (2024-2027)
We look forward to seeing many of you there to reconnect in small groups of 4/5 BPW members, discussing the topics that matter to you — whether it’s about yourself, your BPW initiatives, your expectations, or simply getting to know one another. Think of it as a "coffee-chat”, where the floor is yours to share, connect, and engage with BPW members from around the world
Date : July Wednesday 8th / Thursday 9th morning for Asia - check your country time zone below.
Please confirm your attendance by replying to this email - You will receive a mail for confirmation.
For first participation, see the table below.
Nota Bene: This BPW group “INTERCONTINENTAL Online Meetings” was created in 2012 in order to gather BPW members and share cross-cultural ideas. This platform is exclusively reserved for BPW Members. For over 13 years, we’ve been using a virtual platform and offering a protocol for registration (data and consent) to secure the connection. This allows me to edit a shared document for each meeting with the names of the participants. As president of a BPW club, you can forward this information to your BPW members. Please don’t forward this mail on META or on X (ex TWITTER) but only on private e-mail addresses. Thank you for your understanding. Géraldine
Time zones current indications
July, Thursday 9th
Auckland : July, Thursday 9th - 7:00 a.m.
Sydney : July, Thursday 9th - 5:00 a.m.
Tokyo,Seoul : July, Thursday 9th - 4:00 a.m.
Kuala Lumpur, Hong-Kong, Taipei : JJuly, Thursday 9th - 3:00 a.m.
Bangkok : July, Thursday 9th - 2:00 a.m.
Katmandu : July, Wednesday 9th - 00:45 a.m.
New Delhi : July, Wednesday 9th - 00:30 a.m
——————————————
July, Wednesday 8th
UAE : July, Wednesday 8th - 11:00 p.m.
Istanbul,Kampala
:Amman, Nicosia, Helsinki, Sofia, Kyiv, Tallinn, Athens, Beirut :
July, Wednesday 8th - 10:00 p.m.
Paris, Cairo, Le
Cap,LaValette, Rome, Zagreb, Prague, Berlin, Madrid,Genève,
Wien, Bruxelles, Stockholm: July, Wednesday 8th - 9:00 p.m.
London, Lagos, Rabat, Porto-Novo, Dublin : July, Wednesday
8th - 8:00 p.m.
UTC, ,Abidjan,Ouagadougou, Dakar, Reykjavik : July,
Wednesday 8th - 7:00 p.m.
Nuuk : July, Wednesday 8th - 6:00 p.m.
Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires : July, Wednesday 8th - 4:00 p.m.
Basseterre,Montréal, Bridgetown,New York, Roseau, Manaus, Toronto, Miami, Nassau, Santiago : July, Wednesday 8th - 3:00 p.m.
Houston, Chicago,Panama, Quito : July, Wednesday 8th - 2:00 p.m.
Calgary, Mexico City : July, Wednesday 8th - 1.00 pm
San Francisco : July, Wednesday 8th - noon.
For your first participation @ BPW INTERCONTINENTAL Meetings
PERSONAL DATA INFORMATION ONLY SHARED WITH THE OTHER ATTENDEES
IN YOUR REPLY :
To produce the internal photo album for the meetings, please provide the information listed below
Portrait photo in low resolution not more than 20kpi
- Name :
- Country :
- BPW club :
IN A NEW SEPARATE EMAIL : geraldinebpw@yahoo.fr
According to the EU regulation on Protection of Personal Data
(GDPR 2016/679/EU), please send me - YES or NO -
" Do you consent to the processing of your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR 2016/679/EU), including your first name, last name, photograph, email address, and (optionally) CV, for inclusion in the internal photo album of BPW INTERCONTINENTAL Online Meetings ? ”
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Advocacy Alley
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Michigan Legislative Platform Focus
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2026-2027 BPW/MICHIGAN
LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM AND ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
PREAMBLE
The Equal Rights Amendment, as authored by Alice Paul, is the priority above all other issues that may appear on this advocacy platform until equal rights for women and men becomes guaranteed in the United States Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment:
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
Economic Equity and Justice
· Demand that all federal state and local governments recognize the protections of the ERA as the 28th Amendment—as ratified by 38 states and Congress.
· Support access to pay equity, retirement equity, and financial stability
· Support access to educational opportunity
· Support access to equal opportunities in the workplace and corporate boards
Human Rights
· Support the eradication of domestic violence, gun violence and human trafficking
· Oppose discrimination based on sexual orientation in all areas including marriage, housing, child custody and employment
· Support civil & human rights of all immigrants, including a sensible path to legal status
Health
· Support the constitutional right for all people to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves, their families and their future without governmental interference
· Support the development of health care research policies that recognize the special health care needs of women
· Support expansion of mental health coverage and services
Adopted at BPW/Michigan State Convention – 5/2/2026
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ERA News
ABOUT THE ERA COALITION
The
ERA Coalition/Fund for Women's Equality was founded in 2014 to bring concerted, organized action to the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Comprised of nearly one hundred organizations across the country, the Coalition provides education and advocacy on Constitutional Equality. The ERA Coalition’s groundbreaking research indicates that more than 94% of all Americans want an Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA Coalition/FFWE has offices in New York City and Washington, DC
For more information about the Equal Rights Amendment and ERA Coalition, please visit our website .
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Pat Mitchell
Former President of PBS and one of the most respected voices in American media — writes about why we must finish the work for full constitutional equality.
It is precisely in such moments as we are experiencing now that taking a closer look at constitutional clarity around rights seems even more urgent.
Read Pat Mitchell’s essay
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Celebrating 60 Years of Feminist Power, Progress, and Possibility – June 26 – 28, 2026
For 60 years, the National Organization for Women has mobilized communities, shaped policy, and fought for justice for women and marginalized people across the United States. Founded in 1966 by Betty Friedan, Pauli Murray, and Muriel Fox, NOW sparked a movement that changed American history.
Their National Conference is a gathering of generations, a strategy summit, and a celebration of six decades of feminist leadership. As proud partners, the ERA Coalition will be there — we hope to see you too.
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Equal Pay Day Coalition Partners
The Michigan Equal Pay Coalition is working to raise awareness of the wage gap between men and women and call for action from policymakers.
Supporting Organizations:
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Think you know the facts about the gender pay gap?
Take our quick quiz to test your knowledge. |
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2026 Equal Pay Day Calendar
- All Women’s Equal Pay Day – March 26
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – April 9
- LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day – June 17
- Black Women’s Equal Pay Day – July 21
- Moms’ Equal Pay Day – August 6
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – September 15
- Latina Equal Pay Day – October 8
- Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day – October 20
- Native Women’s Equal Pay Day – November 19
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Save the Date!
Women's Equality Day Celebration
Saturday, August 29, 2026, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET
St. Mary's Cultural & Banquet Center
18100 Merriman Road, Livonia
Mark your calendar with the date of the annual Women's Equality Day celebration hosted by AAUW of Michigan. This year's luncheon will be held at St. Mary's Cultural & Banquet Center in Livonia on Saturday, August 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. The theme for this year's celebration is "Education and the ERA," and we are assembling a panel of speakers representing K-12, College/University, and STEM Education. Registration opens June 15; stay tuned for upcoming emails with more information.
This event features inspiring speakers, delicious food, and a chance to connect with like-minded individuals. Let's come together to commemorate the progress made towards gender equality and work to finally pass the Equal Rights Amendment!
Don't miss this opportunity to honor and celebrate the 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, women's rights, and the achievements and contributions of women!
Link to Eventbrite online registration.
Link to offline registration and sponsorship.
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Contact Your Representatives
Speak up on the issues that matter!
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VIA NFBPWC -
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
We’re advocating to protect the IRA from rollbacks and ensure its historic investments in clean energy and climate resilience remain in place.
Take Action for the IRA
Stop the SAVE Act
The so-called SAVE Act would impose voter suppression tactics under the guise of election security. We're urging lawmakers to reject this dangerous bill. Take Action on the SAVE Act
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Q. In 1954 the world's first shopping mall opened in what Detroit suburb?
A. Southfield (Northland Mall)
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“To be a champion you have to have intensity. ... You have to have the willingness and a desire to get out there and sweat, to train, have diligence, and ... want to win.”
– ALTHEA GIBSON
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Women’s Declaration of Independence
- July 2026
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Here’s a link to a version of the US Constitution with all 28 Amendments.
https://tinyurl.com/muupzn9c
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If you or someone you know needs to talk, here are lifelines where compassionate support is available:
- Stand with Trans Ally Parent Program: 833-435-7798
- Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741 or AYUDA to 741-741 for Spanish support
- Trevor Project Chat: (866) 488-7386 or Text START to 678-678
- National LGBT Hotline: (888) 246-7743
- LGBT Youth Talkline: (800) 246-7743
- LGBT Senior Hotline: (888) 234-7243
- Blackline: (800) 604-5841
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It’s especially important to prioritize your well-being and be aware of resources for
those who may need them. Here are some that could help.
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call 1-800-656-4673 or chat at rainn.org for support after sexual assault
including referrals to the closest rape crisis center.
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to
741741 for free and confidential support from a crisis counselor.
- VictimConnect Resource Center: Visit victimconnect.org or call 855-484-2846 to learn
about your rights and get emotional support as a crime victim.
- End Rape on Campus: Visit endrapeoncampus.org to learn about your
institution’s sexual assault investigation policies, prevention efforts, and survivor support resources with the
Campus Accountability Map + Tool.
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Other hotlines and resources to provide support to survivors are always available. Make sure that you reach out for help if you, or someone you know, need it.
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Register now for CPR/First Aid and BSAC classes on
demand!
Visit the website at cadycprsolutions.com
Triple P provider. Contact Marsha
Riibner-Cady for details!
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Who is getting the Monday Minutes in your local? Are those without email access staying informed to the latest? Please help in passing along information to those members via your local meetings or otherwise. If you know someone who is not getting a Monday Minute or other email information, please let us know how we can help.
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