League of Women Voters 100th Anniversary Celebration

Join the League of Women Voters for their 100th Anniversary Celebration with featured speaker, Santa Cruz councilmember Cynthia Mathews. Come enjoy live music, suffragette songs, food, and good company. Period costumes encouraged.

In February 1920, Carrie Chapman Catt, a prominent leader in the woman suffrage movement, founded the League of Women Voters just six months before ratification of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote. Join LWVSCC on Saturday, February 22, as we celebrate the League of Women Voters’ centennial year: 100 years of working to create a more perfect democracy. This gala luncheon will include live music by a woodwind quintet and Girl Scouts in period costumes singing suffragette songs.

Our featured speaker, Santa Cruz councilmember Cynthia Mathews, will present a talk titled, “Celebrating the Women’s Vote Centennial: Historic Milestone, Contemporary Relevance”. Her talk will weave together the long campaign leading to passage of the19th amendment in 1920; the continuous struggles to see that right fully realized in issues of equal rights today; the strength of women’s growing impact in both elections and public office; and the League’s ongoing role in advancing these core democratic goals.

Cynthia is a member of the Santa Cruz City Council and former mayor, now serving her sixth term. She served as public affairs staff for Planned Parenthood in Santa Cruz County for over 40 years, and is a member of the local Democratic Central Committee. Over the years she has also been engaged in numerous community-based activities supporting schools, libraries, environmental protection, parks, public safety, public health, arts, housing, and local economic development. Her great-grandmother was an organizer for woman suffrage in the early 1900s, and Cynthia has voted in every election since reaching voting age.

Bring a friend and join in the fun; all are welcome. To attend, send us your prepaid reservations by Saturday, February 15. The cost is $25 per person and includes admission and lunch by Barbara’s Catering (two salads, a fruit bowl, and a chicken dish). We will also have some treats for dessert. Pay online with PayPal at lwvscc.org or send a check to LWVSCC, P.O. Box 1745 Capitola, CA 95010-1745