Our Mission Statement: Advancing gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the nation’s oldest and largest organization for women. Founded in 1881, AAUW is one of the world’s largest funders of graduate education and career development for women and has provided over $140M to more than 130,000 grantees in 145 countries. Headquartered in Washington, DC, AAUW has 1,000 branches nationwide with over 170,000 members and 800 college/university partners.
The Fremont Branch serving the Tri-Cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, was established in 1961 and incorporated in 2024. A group of thirteen local teachers aspired to promote gender equity through STEM education and community activism. Each year our Branch sponsors: Mother-Daughter STEM Discovery Day for elementary school students in collaboration with local school districts, Tech Trek summer residential camps for 7th graders, Speech Trek competitions for high schoolers, Gov Trek virtual leadership development program for 11th and 12th graders, and Ohlone College Scholarships for college students to cover tuition costs and registration fees for AAUW’s annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.
Our Branch also hosts Interest Groups to support the creative pursuits of our members: Afternoon Lit and Book Talk book clubs, Cultural Cuisine, Exploring the Arts, Money Talks, Tuesday ESL Chat at Fremont Main Library, Yoga For Body and Spirit, and the One Book, One Community Read Project, which is done in collaboration with the Alameda County Library, the Fremont School District, and the City of Fremont.
CLICK HERE FOR FREMONT BRANCH FLYER
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Public Policy Update
Our Public Policy columnist mourns the loss of Lilly Ledbetter, who was known for her equal pay activism.
To read this or any previous Public Policy columns, click HERE.
Branch News
Speech Trek Launches Fifth Season
AAUW Fremont Branch is excited to officially kick off our fifth consecutive season of Speech Trek! This season’s topic is about how climate change affects women in the U.S. and around the world.
Death by Chocolate Bingo Fundraiser Held
This fundraiser for the Foundation for Local Scholarships happened on Friday, November 1. It was very successful. Watch this space for photos.
Annual Fall Brunch Held
Judy Wolf tells the history of Tech Trek to this year’s Tech Trekkers.
Phie Dai and Rick Hood enjoy the Fall Brunch.
Mary Lynn Pelican (from left), Beatrix Woods, and Katelyn Woods enjoy their brunch. Katelyn was Fremont’s first Tech Trekker, back in 1999.
2024 Pros and Cons Forum
On Oct. 12, we were proud to co-host a forum presented by the League of Women Voters Fremont, Newark, and Union City. Nonpartisan and unbiased reviews of 10 CA state propositions were presented in a concise and easy to understand manner to help you make informed decisions to vote for legislation that will affect the lives of all Californians.
One Book One Community Read Project Launches 15th Season
This year, we are honored to present Barbara Kingsolver’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize and Women’s Prize-winning Demon Copperhead. Through the lens of this powerful narrative about a young man’s struggle with opioid addiction, our September 16 public health forum provided valuable information on the treatment of prescription drug abuse and the prevention of fatal overdoses.
FY2025 Board of Directors
The stars come out–In the continuing celebration of the Fremont Branch four-star national recognition and to welcome the FY2025 board members, each newly-installed officer received a gold star award at the July 12th board meeting. Each star contained a personal message explaining why that officer is a STAR.
Fourth of July After Party at the Fremont Event Center
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- Set up of our booth
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- The pinwheel table was very popular, with children making pinwheels while the adults and other passersby talked about AAUW.
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- AAUW members with our materials
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- One of our interns stopped by to help with the pinwheel table.
Congressman Ro Khanna Holds Virtual Town Hall
On June 25, Gene Wang, Chairman of Care Daily, hosted a virtual meeting featuring Congressman Khanna for the Fremont, San Jose, and Sunnyvale-Cupertino sister branches. Members learned about topics important to this November’s election – affordable healthcare, job creation, technological innovations, and more.
Installation Lunch Celebration
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- Preston Metcalf, executive director of the Triton Museum of Art, was the keynote speaker at our installation Lunch in June.
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- A gorgeous cake, created by Linda Pearson, celebrated our 4-star achievement.
TechTrekkers Enjoy Ice Cream Social
Tech Trek Class of 2024 bonded over ice cream and a fun game of trivia on June 2. Seven campers enjoyed an exciting week of STEM activities at UC Santa Cruz in July.
Ohlone Scholarships Announced
Brandon Stewart, institutional advancement officer for the Ohlone Scholarship Foundation, receives the AAUW check for $7,000 from AAUW Fremont members.
Fremont AAUW members stand with Alexis Gonsalves, center, after she received our $4000 scholarship May 1 at Ohlone College. She’s attending San Jose State.
Cookie Distribution Team at Ohlone
The cookie distribution team this year at Ohlone College’s Gender Sex Fair in April featured several AAUW Fremont members. Every year, we provide dozens of delicious cookies to hungry students–with 20 percent of the cookie removed to highlight the disparity between salaries for men and women.
Another Successful Discovery Day
More than 30 girls and their female relatives turned out for our annual Discovery Day for third to fifth grade girls. Girls look at bees during the first workshop, Bee Habitats, as a mom and daughter get excited about the Coding for Recycling workshop. For the complete story, click here.
Women’s History Event
The annual Women’s History event this March was a Tea ‘n Talk at Kathy Garfield’s home where AAUW members shared their own history.
One Book One Community Read Proclamation
The Fremont City Council passed a resolution supporting the One Book, One Community Read (OBOCR) Project and its latest book, The Hill We Climb, by Amanda Gorman. Fremont Mayor Lily Mei presented the Proclamation to proud AAUW members on February 13.
Bi-Branch Luncheon in Hayward
We had a great time at our annual Bi-branch luncheon February 3 with the Hayward-Castro Valley branch. The keynote speaker for our event held at the Ghazni Afghan Restaurant in Hayward was Joyce Weaver, center, AAUW 2024 Career Development Grantee and new AAUW Fremont member.
Holiday Party at Artist Walk
Our family holiday party was a sparkling success, with everyone having a great time being dazzled on December 10 by the amazing Care Daily Band at the Artist Walk Community Center in Fremont.
In 2024, WalletHub named Fremont as the happiest city in America for the fifth year in a row. It has the lowest depression rate and the lowest separation and divorce rate. WalletHub compared more than 182 of the large cities nationwide and looked at 30 key indicators such as a city’s income growth, life expectancy, and job opportunities.