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About AAUW

Since its inception in 1881, AAUW has been a catalyst for change. Today, with more than 100,000 members, 1,300 branches, and 500 college and university partners, AAUW contributes to a more promising future and provides a powerful voice for women and girls—a voice that cannot and will not be ignored.

AAUW - National, State and Local - all began with a meeting of 17 like-minded women who had defied society’s standards by earning college degrees. Marion Talbot and Ellen H. Richards invited 15 alumnae of eight colleges to a November 28 meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. They envisioned an organization in which women college graduates could band together to open doors of higher education to other women and to find wider opportunities to use their training. What started out as the Association of Collegiate Alumnae in 1881 has grown into a powerful network of more than 100,000 women who have influenced—and at times even shaped—the debate over equity in education. (excerpts from www.aauw.org)

Herstory in Saint Cloud is not different from the rest of the country, and our Branch newsletter is named after a quintessential part of that herstory; Jane Grey Swisshelm's, "Visiter".

Jane Grey Swisshelm (1815-1884) was an antislavery advocate, newspaper editor, lecturer, crusader, feminist, and Civil War nurse. She edited two newspapers in Minnesota during the period 1858-1865, when these letters were written: first, the St. Cloud Visiter [sic] and, afterward, the St. Cloud Democrat. The Minnesota Historical Society collected and compiled the series of articles and letters written for the St. Cloud Democrat, publishing them as a book in 1934. In her articles and letters, Swisshelm addresses many of the important issues of her time, including women's rights, slavery, and the frontier conflict between Indians and white settlers. She crusaded for a woman's right to own property, speak in church, and vote. She was an avid antislavery advocate who spoke out against the abusive treatment of slaves and their legal standing as chattel. She advocated harsh treatment toward the Sioux in the aftermath of the 1862 uprising, considering the settlers to be aggrieved victims in this case. That Swisshelm was a prominent figure of her time is demonstrated by her familiarity with influential leaders such as Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Her book also contains articles she wrote as she traveled around southern Minnesota, some of which describe her experiences with the First Minnesota Regiment at Fort Snelling.
Sited Excerpt: Click here

Found in 1922, the herstory of the Saint Cloud Area Branch is fast approaching 85 years strong. The work of Marion Talbot, Ellen H. Richards and 15 of their alumnae, inspired our predecessors and continues to unite like-minded men and women in our area and across the globe, working together for equity in education for women and girls.