Norman — Happy 85th birthday to the Norman League of Women Voters, and Happy 90th birthday to the LWVUS.
Six months before the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified in 1920, Carrie Chapman Catt first proposed organizing a League of Women Voters to help end discrimination against women. Today we are a grassroots organization of women and men with 850 local chapters throughout all 50 states. We promote voter education about citizen rights and responsibilities in a democracy and work for policies in the public interest. The Norman League was formed 85 years ago and is one of the first local leagues in Oklahoma.
Some issues that people are concerned about today in Norman also were here 85 years ago. League minutes dating from April 22, 1926, mention a talk for the newly formed league by Dr. E.E. Dale, professor of history at the University of Oklahoma titled “Women as Pioneers.” In November of that year the program featured Dr. Ellison speaking on public health. He answered many questions regarding the smallpox epidemic gripping the nation at that time, the need for requiring school children to be vaccinated, and the need for appointing a full-time health office for Norman. Early in 1927 Major John Alley of the OU Government Department talked to league members about The Direct Primary. And at the fall 1927 meeting a Dr. Thompson stated what he thought were the three main virtues and three hazards of the U.S. Constitution. The virtues: simplicity of language, brevity and elasticity — the hazards; a tendency to centralize power in the Federal Government, a tendency to apply abstract phraseology to individual rights, and general attacks by radicals demanding amendments which should come under statutory law.
Jumping ahead to 1950, we have an account of what must have been one of the most exciting Norman League meetings ever held. According to June Morgan, a current league member, “A crowd of 5,000 attended a Norman LWV old-fashioned town meeting in the OU field house. Things got out of hand as people booed the gubernatorial candidate [no names given]. June Benson, the League president who moderated the meeting, had trouble controlling the crowd.”
We believe that hands-on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement. Some of the public policies that the LWV of Norman has worked for include openness in government, strict procedures for rezoning, sidewalks in new subdivisions and near schools, more and safer bicycle routes, protection of land in the Little River Watershed, non-discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, improved public transportation and curbside recycling.
Recently we co-sponsored two Constitution Day panels at the OU Law School and held mayoral, city council and school board candidate forums. League public meetings on water, education, Oklahoma’s voting machines, national immigration and the National Popular Vote have given Norman citizens the opportunity to learn more about and discuss these important issues.
The League’s philosophy on the importance of citizen involvement in city government was expressed by a social worker and head of the Brooklyn branch of the LWV in the 1930s: “The fight for good government is never permanently won. It must be waged afresh each day,” Genevieve B. Earle.
Membership is the League of Women Voters is open to men and women of voting age. Check us out at http://norman.ok.lwvnet.org, and pick up a Who’s Who from the library or city hall. This pamphlet, which the N. League has been updating and printing for years, has information about all city and county offices; names of legislators, state and federal; names of city council and board of education members; dates of elections; names of city boards and their meeting times.
Phoebe Schmitz is president of Norman League of Women Voters in Norman.
