League of Women Voters Celebrate 95th Anniversary

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Many people don’t realize that the League of Women Voters has been around for nearly a century. Fewer still realize it formed in 1920, just a few months before American women gained the right to vote via ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

At that time, women wanted to learn more about the political issues of the day, as well as the mechanics of voting, which were new to them. The League of Women Voters was formed to meet that need. Before long, the League’s mission broadened to that of informing all voters. National, state and local organizations were formed.

Many of the original League members had been active in the decades-long push to achieve woman’s suffrage, and were well versed in political advocacy. The League also continued in that role, researching and promoting selected positions. It continued to advocate on issues of particular interest to women – the rights of working women, the legal status of women, and childcare among them – and also spoke for legislation of general interest including Social Security and the Food and Drug Act. Following World War II, the League led the effort to establish the United Nations and ensure participation by the United States.

Today the League has changed in some respects – despite the name, men are now members, and this year membership was opened to teenagers 16 and older – but the founders would likely find much the same. For example, the League remains a non-partisan source of information for voters. Before each election, here in town, for example, the Greenwich League sponsors candidate debates and publishes the Voters Guide, appreciated by many as a reliable source of unbiased information. The League also presents a number of free, public events of interest to voters throughout the year. Like its foremothers, the League also advocates about selected issues on behalf of the public, following formal studies ratified by membership.

It is this proud heritage that the League of Women Voters will celebrate on Sunday, Oct. 16. Members and friends will honor 95 years of history at a cocktail party to be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Round Hill Community House, 395 Round Hill Rd. A collection of memorabilia spanning the decades of League activity, from the early days right up to the present, will be displayed. Greenwich resident Coline Jenkins, great-great-great granddaughter of suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton, will speak. The event is open to the public; tickets are available from Mary Ann Henry at maryanninfo@aol.com or Joanne Stavrou at jojows@aol.com.

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