As you probably know, the LWV United States has declared that we are in a constitutional crisis and launched
a campaign to defend democracy, Unite and Rise 8.5, on May 1, 2025.
This is the time to band together to defend our constitution, protect the rule of law, demand the preservation
of checks and balances, safeguard the right to vote, and build a democracy where every person and every voice counts.
We have made Unite and Rise 8.5 our priority. Working with other Long Island Leagues, we have promoted national
rallies, including the ‘No Kings Day’ rally, the ‘Good Trouble’ rally, and others. We have several educational
forums planned. Our efforts to register, educate, and protect voters contribute to defending our democracy.
Let’s all band together and commit ourselves to:
Taking action by voting and volunteering to ensure our freedom to vote is protected.
Mobilizing nonviolent efforts to hold the government accountable.
Staying informed about the policies and decisions that affect us all, combating disinformation,
and amplifying the voices and stories of those most impacted.
Let’s work together. Please become an active member of one of our committees and contribute to defending democracy.
Save the Date: Oct 23 Dismantling Democracy . . Can They Do That?!
Free Public Forum
7 PM Thurs Oct 23, 2025
Half Hollow Hills Public Library
Can the current administration just shut down the Education Department? End birthright
citizenship, keep TikTok in business despite a Supreme Court Ruling? Can it hold immigrants
in jail without due process and reverse decades of efforts to stop global warming? This
non-partisan public forum will explore these questions and more.
The U.S. League of Women
Voters has declared that the United States is in the midst of a Constitutional Crisis. What
can we do to protect our system of checks and balances and Constitutional rights?
Speakers
to be announced. Sponsored by the Huntington League of Women Voters.
United and Rise Power Playbook 2 You Can Take Action Now!
By Frances Cerra Whittelsey
No need to sit and feel helpless in the face of the daily stream of outrages. We can hold power accountable.
The national League of Women Voters has put together a comprehensive plan of action called Unite and Rise
Power Playbook 2 to use before the 2026 elections.
This initiative, launched on May 1, aims to mobilize 8.5 million people using the power of voter
engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy. They wrote the book for us.
The Playbook suggests a daily practice of writing to elected representatives and making phone calls,
among other things like letters to the editor. Consider that each Congressional district has about
750,000 people (Census). Yet according to Fireside21, all of Congress combined received just
81 million messages in 2022. That’s a tiny fraction compared to the population they represent
(Fireside21). Which means: relatively very few calls, letters, and emails actually come in
on a daily basis. Every message you send matters more than you know.
So imagine this: if each of us committed to sending one letter to your three Members of Congress
and leaving one voicemail a day, that would be people power in action,
and that’s not even considering social media conversations, town halls, constituent meetings,
or confronting them directly through birddogging.
On August 9th, a small group of LWV Huntington members attended a talk and walk-through of
Gateway Community Garden in Huntington Station. It was hosted by Frances Whittelsey as a League fundraiser
from our annual Silent Auction.
With bagels and coffee, they listened as she described how her observation that local food
pantries had no fresh produce — and a chance meeting with Larry Foglia, a natural resources
consultant and Dix Hills farmer, started the process that created the garden. With enthusiasm
from the Huntington Town Board and volunteers from many organizations, vacant land was identified
in Huntington Station that had been left derelict from a 1960s urban renewal project. Frances
is now in the process of working with the Huntington Historical Society to document and archive
the history of this project.
Never let it be said that a small group of active and committed people cannot make a huge
difference! The garden is thriving today, 15 years after the first beds were built. Last year,
a ton of fresh vegetables was donated to food banks, and the garden is a peaceful and beautiful
oasis in Huntington Station.
It was a beautiful day for coffee and bagels and a tour of Gateway Community Garden led by
Frances Whittelsey. From L-R, Natalie Urbano, Joanna, Mary Speed-Perri, Frances, Isabel Pullis.
We have a new leadership team. At the annual meeting in June, members voted to change our by-laws to
accommodate either a Leadership team, or a President and Vice President. This year we will be led by
a team consisting of Stephanie Quarles, Barbara Raisch and Nella Yelenovic. Also, Directors and two
members of the Leadership Team can attend partisan events as individuals, not representing the league,
but one team member must be non-partisan. For this year, that is Nella.
New Board Members: The Huntington League is delighted to welcome five new directors to our board who
have joined since our annual meeting in June: Jan Allen, Elise Antonelli, Jina Arafat, Loretta Chillemi,
and Kerry Hager.
Jan has been a member of the LWV for more than 50 years and was a past president of the Huntington
League as well as 2nd Vice president of the New York State League. She co-chairs the Issues & Advocacy
Committee along with Frances Whittelsey and Elise. Elise was a member of the Valley Stream District
30 Board of Education and co-chair of the Babylon Huddle, which folded itself into the Huntington LWV.
Jina is an attorney who currently works as a claims manager for an insurance company. Prior to her current
role, she practiced law for over 20 years for various litigation firms in New York. Jina grew up on Long Island,
lives in Huntington Village, and will be getting married in November 2025.
Loretta Chillemi is a library trustee and volunteer at the Fire Island Lighthouse. She serves
as co-chair of the Youth Committee.
A social studies teacher for 25 years, Kerry Hager is co-chair of the voter services committee.
She served on the LWV of New York Study Committee on Ranked-Choice Voting and non-partisan primaries
whose findings were submitted to all local chapters this Spring.
New Nominating Committee: At the August meeting, the board also appointed a new Nominating Committee.
In accordance with our by-laws, two members, Liz Thalheimer and Jina Arafat are directors, and three
others– Barbara Kurek, who will chair, Susan Pellegrino and Isabelle Pullis–are non-director chapter
members.
June Meeting Featured Social Justice Advocate Helen Boxwill
Helen Boxwill has created a library in Ethiopia, shipped books to fill its shelves, trained teachers there,
and much more. She is a key player in social justice action in Huntington and beyond, and spoke to league
members gathered at our annual meeting last June at Spuntino’s in Dix Hills. The Executive Director of
H2 Empower, Inc., the non-profit she founded, Boxwill spoke about the divisions in our society. She
urged us to work to bridge the gap, help people communicate with each other, and build community from
different parts of society.
“This Is What Democracy Looks Like!” Rally included members of the Huntington League who withstood 92-degree temperatures
to join the Good Trouble demonstration on July 17 on Jericho Turnpike and Route 110.
Mary Speed-Perri and Angie Troici in front of the United States Seal at the Federal Courthouse
in Islip on Friday June 28 where they registered 53 new citizens. Helping new citizens register
has been one of the League’s most rewarding activities. But as of this writing, new rules just
announced by the Immigration and Naturalization Service may make this activity impossible.
The United States League of Women Voters is protesting the change.
Assembly Member Keith Brown in Albany Legislative Chamber with Emily Xie from Harborfields High.
Emily’s trip to the state capitol was thanks to what Brown called “a great program run by the
League of Women Voters.”
