National Women’s Political Caucus Pasadena Hosts Annual Honorees Event and Pre-Election Celebration

The National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) Greater Pasadena Area will host a pre-election celebration on Sept. 6.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at a private home in Pasadena.

Celebrating its 51st year, the reception will honor two local women: Marguerite Cooper, recipient of the Lifetime Service Award, and Dorothy Herman, posthumous recipient of the Dolores Hickambottom Public Service Award.

The reception will feature an awards presentation and remarks from Congresswoman Judy Chu and other state and local elected officials.

Cooper is being recognized for her lifetime of service to the Pasadena Caucus, her significant involvement in empowering and training women for political office, and her courage in being a lead plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit against Secretary of State Henry Kissinger that eventually led to the elevation of women as foreign diplomats, regardless of marital status.

Herman was a lifelong human rights and political advocate in the greater Pasadena area, supporting organizations including the local Democratic Party and the local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

The reception will also serve as a call to action to support local women up and down the ballot, including Vice President Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States.

Harris was recently endorsed by the national leadership of NWPC, a multipartisan grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the political process.

Members of the public interested in attending or hosting the reception may find more information at bit.ly/NWPCGPA24.

The Greater Pasadena Area Caucus has been engaging and training women to run for elected and appointed office under the umbrella of the National and State organization.

The Greater Pasadena Area Caucus was originally founded in the 1970s and rechartered in 2019. It is the largest caucus chapter in the nation. NWPC recruits, trains, and supports pro-choice women candidates for elected and appointed offices at all levels of government.

All candidates for endorsement must support the bottom line issues of the national organization, which include support for pay equity, the Equal Rights Amendment, reproductive choice, ending discrimination, elimination of sexual harassment, and increased access to child and dependent care. In addition to financial donations, the Caucus offers campaign training for candidates, technical assistance, and advice.

 NWPC-GPA is currently led by Chapter President Charlotte Bland.