AAUW: Impacting Era After Era of Women

AAUW has been around since 1881, meaning that many generations have taken part in advancing education with AAUW. Familial links at AAUW represent the continual goal: to impact era after era of women. I spoke to a couple of members who have been impacted by or who are impacting generations of their families, and they shared their stories and perspectives from over the years, ranging from how they were introduced to AAUW to how we should work to get younger generations involved. This is what they had to say: 

Ariah Tough, a board member of AAUW Metro, brought her daughter, Waverly, to the annual AAUW-NYS meeting. Waverly was excited “to meet with multiple generations of women who have been fighting for women’s rights” and was greatly appreciative of “the respect and on-leveling treatment that she got” from the AAUW members, as her mother Ariah said in an interview about the meeting. Although Waverly’s attendance was because of circumstances that meant either Ariah would not go or would have to bring her daughter, both Ariah and Waverly were thrilled that they made the choice to attend together. Ariah realized the potential impact that this meeting could have on her daughter and chose to use it as an opportunity to have meaningful conversations, ultimately supporting the multi-generational tie at AAUW and helping to spread our message to younger women.

I also spoke with Alyssa Wise, whose mother, Susan Cicchetti, is a member of AAUW and, after getting Alyssa's help with many projects that involved newer technology, inspired Alyssa to join. Alyssa and Susan have experienced AAUW together in many ways, such as planning their branch’s anniversary brunch together, attending meetings and branch Christmas parties together, and writing the annual meeting recap notes together. 

Both of these members have inspiring stories that encourage members to get their families involved. “I want to raise children who believe in the equality of everyone, and I believe that one of the best ways to do that is to model speaking up and organizing for different groups.  By participating in the AAUW and bringing my daughter along, I am providing her a physical example of speaking up for myself and what I believe in,” said Ariah. Her passion for AAUW and for strengthening its generational ties is clear, and she is setting an incredible example. She recognizes that, although sometimes heavy topics are hard to discuss, “by age eight girls are already exposed to so much gender conditioning and treated differently based on gender, [and] it only makes sense to bring them into the larger conversations about women’s rights.” 

Alyssa also recognized the strength and necessity of the generational ties by sharing a story from her experience at the annual AAUW-NYS meeting. “I sat next to one of our younger girls' moms at this past year's meeting who seemed interested in becoming a member, seeing everything her daughter was a part of,” Alyssa recounted. Inspiring those you are closest to, whether it be your mother, daughter, or another family member or friend, spreads the work and messages of AAUW through generations, amassing support for the equity of all women.

By Rowan Trevino, 2025 Rising Leader: Communications Intern