Mayor Pro Tem Maggie Blackwell as speaker

Salisbury Mayor Pro Tem, Maggie Blackwell, was featured speaker at the Annual Brunch of the Salisbury Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).  The brunch was held at the Salisbury Country Club on Saturday, April 12, 2014.

Also in attendance were Sandra Sims-Campbell, candidate for Register of Deeds (Dem.) and Constance Johnson, candidate for N.C. State Senate District 34 (Dem.)

AAUW is a national non-partisan organization that addresses equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

Livingstone College recently became an institutional affiliate of AAUW and was represented by Dr. Lea Vickers, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Kathryn Moland, Professor of Computer Information Systems.

Ms. Blackwell opened her presentation by referring to AAUW’s trail-blazing role for women.  In 1919 AAUW members raised $156,413 to buy one gram of radium for Marie Currie.  Her radium research led to a Nobel Prize in Science.  “In today’s dollars, that represents $2.2 million,” according to Blackwell.

 Blackwell’s talk on “Successful Women in a Male Dominated Industry” included a slide presentation with examples of her own life’s experiences in business and public service.  She shared several quotes from important women in her life, including “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission” from Eleanor Roosevelt, and “No one is ever worth losing your dignity” from Betty Azbell, Ms. Blackwell’s mother.

AAUW Salisbury Branch President Kathy Pulliam introduced Livingstone student Tonya Stewart as this year’s recipient of a $500 scholarship from the Branch to attend the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, to be held in June at the University of Maryland.  Ms. Stewart is a Junior studying Computer Information Systems.

Founded in 1881, AAUW is one of the nation’s leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls.  It’s most recent publication, “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap” is available for free through the Salisbury Branch.

For more information contact Kathy Pulliam, kathy@mkpulliam.com, 704-636-6082 or http://salisbury-nc.aauw.net.