#WCW Suffrage leaders in the Territory of Hawaii: Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Wideman Dowsett, Emma Ahuena Taylor, Emma Kaili Metcalf Beckley Nakuina, and Emma ‘A’ima A’ii Nawahi.
Disclaimer: there was almost no information of photos of these women online. These women have been grouped together because they all worked on suffrage efforts in the Territory of Hawaii and it was more important to include all of their names rather than choose one. All of the women are of mixed race and partial royal Hawaiian heritage. (Apparently Emma was a popular name at the time.) All of them were associated with Queen Lili’uokalani, the last Hawaiian Royal to rule before being overthrown by pro-America interests and island nation was annexed in 1898. Dowsett established the Women’s Equal Suffrage Association of Hawai’i (WESAH) and organized knitting units during WWI .(Volunteers knit socks and sweaters to send to the troops.) Taylor was an author, historian, and genealogist preserving Hawaiian culture and language. Nakuina was a judge, curator for the Hawaiian National Museum and cultural writer. Nawahi was a community leader and newspaper publisher. Aside from their involvement in suffrage, these women were integral to the preservation of native Hawaiian culture.