Columbia Star

1963        Celebrating 60 Years      2023

League of Women Voters celebrates 100 Years



League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area Panel Members— Moderator Judy Thompson (LWVCA president, 1976-1979,) Candy Waites (LWVCA president, 1973-1976,) Betsy Oakman (LWVCA president, 1983-1987,) Pam Craig (LWVCA president, 2009-2011,) and Keller Barron (LWVCA president, 1963-1965.) Photo courtesy of League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area

League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area Panel Members— Moderator Judy Thompson (LWVCA president, 1976-1979,) Candy Waites (LWVCA president, 1973-1976,) Betsy Oakman (LWVCA president, 1983-1987,) Pam Craig (LWVCA president, 2009-2011,) and Keller Barron (LWVCA president, 1963-1965.) Photo courtesy of League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area

On February 14, 1920, the national League of Women Voters was founded by Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. After the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, women had finally won the right to vote. In the aftermath of this victory, the national movement of women, known as suffragists, realigned themselves to form an organization that would carry on the cause of supporting women and their voting rights.

Carrie Chapman Catt called for creation of “a league of women voters to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation.” The league was formally formed in Chicago as the national League of Women Voters. Six months later, on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified and became law.

Local reaction to the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the formation of a National League of Women Voters is recorded as follows:

On August 19, 1920, “a jubilant group of suffragist leaders” gathered at Craven Hall on Washington Street (in Columbia, S. C.) to celebrate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment “brought about by the women in Tennessee.” Led by Mrs. Bertha T. Munsell, president of The South Carolina League of Women Voters, and Ida Salley Reamer, chair of the Columbia League of Women Voters, the group gathered round a table featuring a statue of victory, yellow flowers, a “a huge bowl of punch- [a] strictly prohibition beverage” for a round of toasts. Five days later, the group met again at Craven Hall, this time to form the Richland County League of Women Voters with Reamer as its inaugural president. Before the end of the month, Reamer, Munsell, Edna Reed Whaley and Isabel L. Cain became the first women to register in South Carolina.

The League of Women Voters of Columbia was formed in 1920. It did not survive, but the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area was founded in 1947 by the daughter of the president of the 1920s group, Suzy Allison. The first organizational meeting was held at Sims College on the University of South Carolina in October, 1947. The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area became one of first officially recognized leagues in the state of South Carolina.

In the beginning years of the league, necessary attention was given to processes such as determining how meetings would be conducted, writing budgets, and learning policies and procedures. The first major project was conducting a survey of the people of the City of Columbia. This led to active work on the Columbia league’s first policy issue—advocating as a group for a city-manager form of city government. The city-manager plan was adopted by Columbia voters in the 1949 election. This was the Columbia league’s first success and established the group as an effective voice in local government.

Over the years, the Columbia league has been involved in education policy, consolidating city and county government, the fluoridation of the city’s water supply, working for the ratification of the ERA, and the “River City Project.”

The “River City Project” began as a study undertaken by the members of the league to support the revitalization of downtown Columbia defined as “bounded by Main and Blossom Streets, Elmwood Avenue, and the river front area.” Evidence of this foundational work concerning this area of downtown Columbia can be seen in the development of Riverfront Park, the adaptive reuse of buildings and development in the Columbia Vista, and the demolition of the Columbia Correctional Institution.

On February 9, 2020, The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area, in partnership with Historic Columbia Foundation, hosted a panel discussion on “The Impact of the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area on the City of Columbia.” The event took place at the Carriage House on the grounds of the historic Robert Mills House in downtown Columbia. The event began with the reading of a proclamation by City of Columbia Mayor Pro Tem Tameika Isaac Devine.

The panel featured past presidents of The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area, including Judy Thompson (LWVCA president, 1976- 1979) who served as moderator; Keller Barron (LWVCA president, 1963- 1965,) Pam Craig (LWVCA president, 2009-2011,) Betsy Oakman (LWVCA president, 1983-1987,) and Candy Waites (LWVCA president, 1973-1976.)

Questions asked of members of the forum panel included “What was the influence of the League of Women Voters on your life and work? How did the league involve African American women in the 1960s? Is the league currently reaching out to college age voters? How would more women in elected office benefit the city and state? Does the league plan new efforts to increase voter turnout?”

Candy Waites shared how the league supported her vision for government as the first woman elected to serve on Richland County Council (1976- 1988) and as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1988- 1994.) Waites said the nonpartisan perspective of her work as a member of the League of Women Voters resulted in her being approached by members of both political parties to run for a seat on Richland County Council. Waites said as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, she worked hard on every issue to be informed of the positions of both political parties. She said sometimes she would vote on the Republican position and sometimes on the Democrat position.

Keller Barron talked about the efforts made to integrate the League of Women Voters in the 1960s. She shared that league members reached out to several African American women and asked them to join, beginning the process of integrating the league. Barron said her involvement in the League of Women Voters paved the way for her to work for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in South Carolina by serving as the coordinator of the Equal Rights Coalition of South Carolina (1973-1976). She was appointed to the State Reorganization Commission and the Human Affairs Commission by Governor John West in 1972. Barron also served as female chair of the South Carolina Committee of the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights (1977-1979) and was chair of the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council (1987- 1988).

Betsy Oakman reflected on the cultural changes affecting women during her term in office as more women entered the workplace. She said, “Our work is not over. We still have voter registration, election laws, and voting laws as our primary issues. We need to get the next generation involved in the league.”

Pamela Craig shared that she worked with The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area on environmental issues. Craig, an African American woman, said she decided to serve with the League of Women Voters based upon the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I judged them by the content of their character.”

Following the panel discussion, guests gathered together to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the League of Women Voters with cake and coffee. A proclamation to commemorate the anniversary from the Office of the Governor Henry McMaster was read aloud.

The league will be celebrating the Centennial Year of the League of Women Voters with activities planned through the spring of 2020 culminating with a march and rally on the South Carolina State House grounds August 22.

Special centennial events include a forum on “The 2020 Census and Redistricting” March 19 at Richland Library Main on Assembly Street, a film series on “ Women and Politics and Women’s Suffrage” in April co-sponsored by The Nickelodean Theatre, and a symposium on the impact of the 19th Amendment April 23 and 24 sponsored by The USC History Center and Historic Columbia Foundation.

For more League of Women Voters Centennial Event information, visit www.lwvcolumbiasc.org and follow The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area on Facebook.

One response to “League of Women Voters celebrates 100 Years”

  1. Sharon Ayling says:

    Thanks for an enjoyable and informative subject!

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