News, events, and civic information from the League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area.

In This Issue

Annual Member Meeting
Don’t Miss These Dates
Our League at Work
Upcoming Events
Get Involved
Membership

See You June 18 for the Annual Member Meeting

Thursday, June 18, 2026
Meeting: 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Arrival: Around 3:30 p.m. for check-in, refreshments, and conversation
Location: Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Ave, Williamsburg
Registration: Details will be sent soon.
Panel: Benefits and Challenges of Data Centers

LWV-Williamsburg Area members are encouraged to attend our Annual Member Meeting. We need a quorum to conduct League business, so your attendance is important.

The meeting will begin with a short business portion, including election of Board members, adoption of the budget, approval of bylaw changes, and adoption of our program for the coming year.

The business meeting will be followed by a timely panel discussion on the benefits and challenges of data centers. Invited panelists include Delegate Shelly Simonds, Megan Davis, Senior Policy Analyst at The Commonwealth Institute, and Josephus Allmond, Chief Energy Officer for the Office of the Governor. Harry Chancey will moderate.

Please plan to arrive around 3:30 p.m. to check in, enjoy light refreshments, and visit with other members before the meeting begins.

📅 Don’t Miss These Dates

May 16: Virginians for Reproductive Freedom Campaign Launch

May 18: Budget 101 with Delegate Vivian Watts

May 18: Peninsula Unit Meeting: Voter Registration Training

June 13: Juneteenth events in Farmville and at Freedom Park

June 18: LWV-Williamsburg Area Annual Member Meeting and Data Centers Panel

Voter Services in the Community

In April, LWV-WA Voter Services completed tabling and voter outreach before the April 21 special election. Our volunteers encouraged voters to participate in every election and to seek out reliable information from trusted sources, while maintaining the League’s nonpartisan role.

Voter Services also took part in several community outreach events, including the Community Baby Shower at Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center. The League appreciated the opportunity to help support an event that provided needed supplies and information to new and expecting mothers.

Volunteers also tabled at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail’s Community Fair, sharing information about restoration of voting rights after incarceration and encouraging residents to talk with family and friends about upcoming elections.

DEI Outreach Around Town

In April, LWV-WA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee helped expand voter information outreach across the community. More than 60 flyers in English and Spanish were shared around the area, providing election information and a QR code link to the Virginia Department of Elections website.

DEI volunteers also joined Voter Services at the Williamsburg Farmers Market, where they spoke with more than 35 people, answered voter questions, and shared League membership information.

Later in the month, DEI co-sponsored and staffed a table at the Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center Community Baby Shower, where expectant mothers and families connected with local programs, resources, and nonpartisan voter information.

LWV-Williamsburg Area Launches on LinkedIn

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/lwvwilliamsburg (requires login)

LWV-Williamsburg Area is expanding our social media presence with the launch of a new LinkedIn platform, in addition to our existing Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts.

LinkedIn offers a useful way to reach a broader professional audience with League news, civic information, and mission-centered content.

Our LinkedIn posts will focus on substantive League priorities, including advocacy on behalf of the Constitution, the rule of law, voting rights, elections, and democracy.

Members and friends who use LinkedIn are encouraged to follow, share, and help amplify LWV-Williamsburg Area’s work in the community.

Book Group: Global Conflict, Democracy, and Moral Responsibility

The Williamsburg Area League’s quarterly Book Group met in April to discuss One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. El Akkad, an award-winning novelist and journalist, writes about Gaza, Western foreign policy, and the human consequences of war. The book won the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Although the subject is difficult, the book offered a timely and wide-ranging discussion of conscience, citizenship, protest, and the search for a new global framework in a changing world.

The next Book Group will meet to discuss The Triangle of Power: Rebalancing the New World Order on Thursday, July 30, at 4:30 p.m. Finnish President and author Alexander Stubb argues that we are in a hinge moment in history, as the world was in 1918 or 1945. All League members are welcome to join the conversation.

Virginians for Reproductive Freedom Campaign Launch

Saturday, May 16, 2026
12:00 p.m.
Richmond, Virginia
RSVP: tinyurl.com/LWVrepro

Virginians for Reproductive Freedom is launching its campaign with a rally and march in Richmond. The coalition is working to pass a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution establishing a Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom. The League of Women Voters of Virginia is a member of this coalition.

Transportation may be available from several areas, including Williamsburg. If you are interested in attending or may need transportation, please register so organizers can plan for attendance and travel needs.

Upcoming: Heads Up from Advocacy

New LWV-VA ICE Issue Group

Contact: janen@lwv-va.org

A new LWV-VA Issue Group is forming to research, inform local Leagues, and identify League and state government positions concerning the creation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities and other ICE and Department of Homeland Security activity.

Leaguers have already joined with community members who opposed the sale of a warehouse in Ashland, Virginia, to the Department of Homeland Security for use as an ICE detention center. The new Issue Group will help Leagues stay informed and vigilant throughout Virginia.

Budget 101 with Delegate Vivian Watts

Monday, May 18, 2026
7:00 p.m.
Virtual program
RSVP: Register for Budget 101

Join Delegate Vivian Watts, Chair of the House Finance Committee and a League member, for Budget 101. This virtual program will explain how the Virginia budget process works and how the “sausage is made.”

Peninsula Unit Meeting: Voter Registration Training

Monday, May 18, 2026
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Tabb Library, 100 Long Green Blvd, Yorktown
Questions: peninsula.lwvwa@gmail.com

The Peninsula Unit of the League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area will host a free public program at Tabb Library in Yorktown.

The program will include voter registration training. All are welcome, and members are encouraged to bring a friend or neighbor.

DEI Upcoming Event: Juneteenth Celebration at the Moton Museum

Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Robert Russa Moton Museum, Farmville, Virginia
Register: bit.ly/4efKAV3
Questions: ryrucker@outlook.com or (703) 395-7468

LWV members are invited to a Juneteenth Celebration at the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville. The day includes lunch at Macado’s Restaurant, a guided museum tour, and time for reflection and discussion. R. R. Moton High School was the site of the historic student-led protest that helped propel Brown v. Board of Education. Charter bus seats from the Richmond area are free for members, but space is limited.

Local Juneteenth Freedom Fest

Saturday, June 13, 2026
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Freedom Park at the First Free Black Settlement
Free admission

LWV-Williamsburg Area’s DEI group wants members and friends to know about a local Juneteenth Freedom Fest at Freedom Park. The event will include music, a DJ, dance, interpretive artistry, community resources, food trucks, vendors, kid games, and more.

LWV-Williamsburg Area will also have a Voter Services table at the event. Stop by, say hello, and help us share nonpartisan voter information with the community.

Interested in Supporting Our League, Having Fun, and Helping with Hospitality?

Contact: lwvwa.communications@gmail.com

The League is forming a Hospitality Team to help with refreshments and welcoming touches at our major events, including the June Annual Meeting, the October Fall Meeting, the Holiday Party, and Great Decisions sessions.

Hospitality is a great way to get to know other members, build friendships, and support the League in a very practical and appreciated way. We are also looking for someone who may be interested in becoming the lead for Hospitality events.

Don’t worry — you are never alone! Leaguers are always willing to advise, work, and help ensure the success of each event. There is also an excellent handbook that walks through every step, and current Chair, Renee Hawthorne, is happy to work with you.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, or if you would just like more information, please contact us. You will not be sorry!

Welcome Members

Thank you to members who recently joined or renewed.
Your support sustains the League’s work in voter education, advocacy, and community engagement:

Get election information at the League’s