AJLI’s Contribution to Legislation & Public Health Campaigns By: Claire Magee Ferguson AIDS Awareness: In 1986, the Junior League of Los Angeles daringly endeavored to dispel fear and misinformation about the AIDS virus by setting up a hot line and establishing a speakers’ bureau. It operated with six other Leagues to set up similar projects, including the Junior League of Mexico City, which introduced AIDS education to the country, bringing together leading public and private health and education officials and ultimately incorporating AIDS education into health clinics for low-income families. Alcohol Abuse: In 1985, The Association of Junior
Leagues International (AJLI) initiated an international, three-year alcohol awareness and education campaign called “Woman to Woman” sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The ground-breaking campaign was the only one of its kind at the time and its goal was to distribute the findings of research showing the effects of alcohol on women while bringing the problem out of the closet. The research revealed the dangers of combining alcohol with tranquilizers, the interaction of alcohol and hormones and the harmful effects of heavy drinking. In addition, the campaign aimed to illustrate the increased need for alcohol-related support services for women and reduce the social stigma of the disease. The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) played an important role, helping to produce a documentary called Women: Coming Out of the Shadows, which earned the JLC an Emmy award!
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB):
AJLI has recognized that DEIB is one of the most critical issues of our time, and has assembled an impressive array of resources to support their member Leagues in their quest to drive toward more inclusive Leagues. Drawing on these resources, the JLC has itself taken on an impressive campaign, which you can learn more about here: http:// www.jlcharlotteblog.org/inside-the-jlc-diversity-inclusioncommittee/
Domestic Violence: For 30 years, numerous Junior
Leagues have worked at the forefront of preventing violence against women, educating the public, operating transitional housing and providing counseling to victims. They have also advocated for the prosecution of perpetrators with federal legislators, ultimately helping to write and pass the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, making it the first piece of federal legislation to address domestic violence.
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Environment: The Junior League has had a trailblazing legacy in environmental advocacy. Over the years, work by various Leagues has called attention to ecological hazards that threaten the livelihood of a community or the health of its inhabitants. The collective power and enduring impact of a group of women united behind a single cause can be best illustrated in the documentary film “Fate of a River: Apathy or Action,” produced by the Junior League of Toledo in 1965. Carol Bentley, who worked in partnership with the League on the film, wound up testifying at the state and federal hearings on water quality that would lead to the development and passage by Congress of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Beyond that ground-breaking legislation, there were many other results of the League’s work that have had lasting effects on communities across the United States. Food Insecurity: Junior Leagues across the Association
work to promote the importance of healthy eating, but we also know that for many in our communities, it’s not so simple. 10.5% of Americans reported being food insecure at some point during 2021. Whether it is community garden programs that are increasing access to food and educating communities on healthy food habits, enhancing food wellness with Kids in the Kitchen or making sure children who rely on school meals during the week have food for the weekend with our backpack programs, tackling food insecurity is a driving issue for a critical mass of Junior Leagues.
Human Trafficking: For more than 15 years, Leagues (both individually and in statewide coalitions from California to Florida, Michigan to Alabama and numerous destinations in between) have joined forces with law enforcement, government officials, anti-trafficking organizations and other critical and influential community change-makers to raise public awareness on the hidden world of human trafficking, to advocate for the passage of anti-trafficking legislation, and to support survivors. To date, 50-plus Junior Leagues have joined the fight against human trafficking. League coalitions have worked to pass more than 25 different pieces of anti-trafficking legislation, primarily at the state and local levels. In 2011, The Junior League was honored by the United Nations Association of New York for its work fighting against human trafficking.
