League of Women Voters of Northwest Riverside County celebrated 90 years of voter participation, activism and women's successful roles in social change at the Riverside Convention Center on Friday, March 26th.

     LWV NRC President Joan Donahue opened the event by describing League's creation in 1920 by suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt and the League's goals to increase voter participation, offer non-partisan voter education, and advocate for public policy measures.  League's advocacy efforts were described beginning with improving Child Labor Laws in the 1920's to League's life long fight for social policy that ensures equal access to education, employment, and housing.

     However, it can be argued that social change only succeeds when citizens put the spirit of social policies into practice.  People, like the event's speakers, who lead the way by making what were once out-of-the-ordinary accomplishments accepted and respected life choices. 

     With brief introduction, each speaker filled in their personal stories of life choices, growth and advancement.  

     Ofelia Valdez Yeager directly confronted ethnic bias as a school girl, but rather than becoming bitter or spiteful, she took positive action aimed at raising  awareness and strengthening the muted voices in her community.  She chose a career in education, became active in PTA as a 'stay-at-home' mom, and when that was not enough, she ran and was elected to Riverside Unified School District's Board of Trustees.  Ofelia is the first Latina to hold that position.  

    As one of 3 founders of Latino Network, founder of Latina Women's Forum, and a force behind the Nati Fuentes Centro de Ninos in the Eastside, Ofelia continues her career in education and her tireless dedication to her community.

    With all her accomplishments, Ofelia remains rooted in her love for her family and the solid foundation they share. She spoke with great affection of the support her older sister offered which sustained her as she broke from family tradition and the encouragement and humor she shares daily with her husband, Ley.  Her greatest source of pride is her four children. 

     She closed her remarks with her satisfaction in Judge Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court and the need for a Latina voice on the highest court.  She added a favorite and most appropriate quote from Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are.  Use what you have.  Do what you can”.

       Undersheriff Valerie Hill seems incapable of taking 'no' for an answer. When her marriage at an early age dissolved, she saw it as an opportunity to start over and realize her childhood dream of becoming a police officer.  With absolute determination, she would not accept her parent's opposition to her career choice or once on the job, the disapproval of her superiors. 

     With humor, faith and a keen ability to work with others, Valerie has several 'firsts' to her credit beyond being the first woman to hold the position of Undersheriff in the department's 100-plus-year history.

      When Valerie was a child, a single act of kindness by a police officer fueled her desire to work in law enforcement.  That early interaction is reflected throughout her career by her positive, supportive and generous attitude. Valerie credits many mentors along the way, chief among them Sheriff Stanley Sniff, but her resilience and good humor are surely key elements her success.

     Valerie looks forward to her upcoming retirement and the good times she has planned with her wonderful husband, their children and grandchildren.  True to her motto to 'make a life out of what you give,' Valerie will continue her volunteer work with Kiwanis, The Rape Crisis Center and her church.

     From working as a farm laborer at the tender age of nine, to working part-time in a liquor store, to becoming a record store entrepreneur, and on to her career in fair housing, Rose Mayes has embraced each opportunity with energy and optimism.  In her view, each endeavor creates a new pathway to explore and expand for further opportunities. 

     Education and work ethic were priorities in her family of 14 children as they were required to start doing their homework as soon as they got home  from school.  This was not just in the pursuit of good scholarship, but to get the work done before the oil for the lamps was gone.  While some might view this as a hardship, for Rose it was just one more element that encouraged her to keep moving forward.

    Rose said she found her passion late at Riverside County's Fair Housing Council where she has been its Executive Director for the past 17 years. Rose's strong sense of community and activism led her to unite Riverside's African-American community by helping to found the Martin Luther King Jr. Visionaries Board and the Riverside African-American Historical Society.

Rose recalled a hot summer day in Houston when her mother sent her on an errand. Her mother told her she would spit in the dirt and Rose had better be back before it was dry.  Rose added that she's been running ever since and she shows no signs of slowing down.

For ninety years the League of Women Voters has been made up of women just like these speakers.  Women with their eyes on the prize of a better community for all.

Be assured that League will continue doing what it has done so successfully over the years: discuss the important issues, ask the difficult questions and demand accountability from our government.

Civic participation never goes out of style - please join us as we continue to Make Democracy Work!