Selina Solomons (1862–1942) was a California suffragist active in the 1911 campaign which resulted in the passage of Proposition 4. Solomons wrote a first hand account of the movement titled, "How We Won the Vote in California".[1]
Selina Solomons | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1862 |
| Died | 1942 (aged 79–80) |
| Known for | California women's suffrage movement |
| Notable work | How We Won the Vote in California |
Involvement with the California suffrage movement
editSolomons worked with many notable California suffragists including Maud Younger and Lillian Coffin Harris.[2] These women all worked together in September 1911 to form an election committee.[2] This committee would serve as a coalition of a variety of suffrage groups active throughout the state.[2] Women won the vote in California in 1911.
Votes for Women Club
editSolomons believed the 1896 defeat was due in part to a lack of emphasis on organizing working-class women.[3] To address this, she opened the Votes for Women Club near Union Square in San Francisco. By 1910, the club was receiving publicity in local newspapers.[4] It was initially intended to appeal to shop girls and clerks.[5] Reading materials on the suffrage movement were widely available in the club.[5] Under Solomons leadership, in 1910, the Votes for Women Club also aimed to combat the "white slave trade" in girls which was a euphemism in this era for prostitution.[6] It was in 1910 that the Mann Act was passed. In 1912, Solomons attended the California Equal Suffrage Association convention in her role as president of the Votes for Women Club.[7]
Personal life
editSolomons was born in 1862 to a sephardic Jewish family with deep roots in the United States.[8] She was the daughter of Seixas and Hannah Marks Solomons.[9] Despite a humble background, her father founded one of the first Jewish temples in the state of California.[10] Selina Solomons died in 1942.[11]
References
edit- ^ Solomons, Selina. "How We Won the Vote in California". Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "San Francisco Call 14 September 1911 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Selina Solomons | Jewish Immigrants in San Francisco | American Jerusalem". www.americanjerusalem.com. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "San Francisco Call 24 October 1910 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ a b Elinson, Elaine (2007-03-04). "Soup, salad, suffrage: How women won their right to vote in California". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "San Francisco Call 26 April 1910 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "San Francisco Call 6 January 1912 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- ^ "Selina Solomons | Jewish Immigrants in San Francisco | American Jerusalem". www.americanjerusalem.com. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Hannah Marks Solomons: Jewish Pioneer Woman and Her Distinguished Family – JMAW – Jewish Museum of the American West". www.jmaw.org. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ Abel, Lauren (2018). "The California Plan: California's Suffrage Strategy and Its Effects in Other States and the National Suffrage Campaign". Voces Novae.
- ^ "Selina Solomons (1862–1942) - Turning Point Suffragist Memorial". 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2021-07-02.