One thing you can say about West Virginia: It’s homogenous.
But is that a good thing?
The next program in the Temple Shalom Social Action Lecture Series will tackle the lack of diversity in the legislature and how that affects the laws it drafts.
The program will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at Temple Shalom, 23 Bethany Pike. Delegates Erikka Storch, R-Ohio, and Michael Pushkin, D-Kanawha, and Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, D-Marshall, will be our guest speakers.
The lack of diversity in the 134-member legislature—100 in the House, 34 in the Senate—is staggering.The House has 81 men compared to just 19 women. All but three are white; one is openly gay, and one is Jewish.
It’s even more striking in the Senate where there are 33 men and just one woman—no known minorities.
So what does this imbalance mean when the state’s lawmakers consider legislation that affects women, minorities or the LGBT community? Will their voices be heard?
The program is free and open to the community. Refreshments will be served.
Please call Temple Shalom at 304-233-4870 to RSVP.
