On October 18, 2025, Green Valley AAUW members joined communities nationwide to show the power of people working together for education, economic opportunity, civil rights, and a healthy democracy. This was not a day of quiet reflection — it was a day of courage and nonpartisan, nonviolent action grounded in AAUW’s mission. We lift up students and families, stand with educators, and affirm that every person deserves the freedom to learn, to earn, and to live with dignity.

WHY THIS MATTERS
Across the country, coordinated efforts are undermining inclusive public education, weakening civil-rights protections, limiting access to affordable higher education, and narrowing participation in our democracy. These shifts widen racial and gender gaps and put burdens on women, first-generation students, and students of color.
AAUW members are not bystanders — we are change-makers. October 18 is an invitation to show up together and defend the guardrails that help people learn, work, and thrive.
AAUW STANDS FOR:
• Higher education as a pathway to economic security and upward mobility for women and girls.
• Equitable access to higher education that is diverse, inclusive, and free from harassment and discrimination.
• Women’s economic security at work — pay equity; paid family, medical, sick, and safe leave; quality, affordable dependent care; harassment-free workplaces; and access to a full range of reproductive health care services.
• The opportunity for women to pursue and thrive in any career they choose, including leadership roles.
• Learning environments that safeguard civil rights, including strong Title IX enforcement and policies that protect students.
• The dignity and equitable participation of all women — across backgrounds and identities — in education, the workforce, and policy decisions.

Because this year’s rollbacks to Title IX, voucher expansions, campus censorship, and bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion aim to limit who gets to learn and who gets to lead, we’re raising our voices to protect access, equity, and opportunity.