Advocacy and action over 125 years

The Hingham Journal

Thursday, November 9, 2006

AAUW/Kay Hardy Campbell

    The American Association of University Women (AAUW), one of the oldest nonprofit organizations dedicated to advocating women's rights, celebrates the 125th anniversary of its founding on Nov. 28.

    Two Bostonians, Marion Talbot and Ellen H. Richards, founded the organization that would eventually become AAUW. It began at a Nov. 28, 1881 meeting in Talbot's home, to which she and Richards had invited 15 alumnae of eight colleges. These 17 women formed an organization in which women college graduates banded together to open doors of higher education to other women and to find wider opportunities to use their training. In those days, higher education for women was a controversial topic, so young women needed encouragement to go to college and earn advanced degrees.

    The group expanded nationwide under the initial name of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. Their first national project was to challenge the writings of a Boston physician, E.H. Clarke, who asserted in his 1872 book, "Sex in Education," that women should not be educated in the same way as men at the college level. To do so, he believed, would risk their fertility and physical health. He wrote, "Identical education is a crime before God and humanity that physiology protests against and experience weeps over.""

    In response, the group conducted a scientific survey of its members, and compiled 750 responses to his assertions. The survey results showed that education isn't harmful to women's health or happiness. Annie G. Howes, the chairwoman of the project, wrote in 1885, "We can feel confident that higher education for women is in harmony with the vast law of survival of the fittest."

    Over the years since its founding, AAUW developed a rich tradition of leadership, scholarship, advocacy, and action. Members have included many exceptional women, such as Coretta Scott King, former Congresswoman Patsy Mink, Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught (who led the effort to establish the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery), and pioneering Spelman College President Dr. Johnnetta Cole. Today, AAUW numbers more than 100,000 members, made up of 1,300 local branches around the country. In addition, 500 colleges and universities are AAUW partners.

    Since those early days, AAUW has shaped the social, political, and economic scene for women, including the fight for pay equity; a woman's right to vote; and legislation that protects women at home, in schools, and in the workplace. For years, AAUW has been a source for research about women and higher education, sexual harassment, and workplace equity. The organization has also grown the largest fund of its kind supporting women's higher education, the Educational Foundation, which awards over $3,000,000 in grants each year. Today, the association is focused on achieving equity for women and girls through education, advocacy and research.

    "We're proud that our organization still makes a difference today,"" said AAUW's national President Ruth Sweetser. "AAUW has stood the test of time and will continue to be a strong advocate for women in years to come."

    On Boston's South Shore, AAUW's Hingham Area Branch supports the mission of AAUW through fundraising for the Educational Foundation, by awarding a local recognition award to a female student pursuing higher education, and by presenting programs of specific interest to women.

    Patty McPherson, a professional organizer and owner of Orderly Manor, will be featured at the branch's next public meeting, on the topic of ""Declutter Your Space and Your Mind," at the Hingham Public Library, Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7p.m.. All are welcome.

    To raise funds for the Educational Foundation, the group is also taking part in the Charity Night at Hanover Mall on Nov.12. A holiday brunch is planned for Dec. 10th. In January, the group will meet over supper at Derby Academy to discuss "The Women of the Silk," by Gail Tsukiyama.

     The Hingham Area branch of AAUW welcomes new members who hold an associate, bachelors or higher degree and live on the South Shore, in any of the towns from Plymouth to Quincy. For information on joining AAUW, please contact Hollie Bagley: 781-749-6274 or e-mail: holliebagley@Comcast.net.

     Kay Hardy Campbell is a Hingham resident and serves as the current President of AAUW's Hingham Area Branch.

Mark you calendar

· 7 p.m., Nov. 14, at the Hingham Public Library. Patty McPherson, a professional organizer, will discuss ""Declutter Your Space and Your Mind." All are welcome.

· Nov. 12, Charity Night at the Hanover Mall to raise funds for the Educational Foundation.

· Holiday brunch, Dec. 10th.

· In January, the AAUW will meet over supper at Derby Academy to discuss "The Women of the Silk," by Gail Tsukiyama.