This Day in #Herstory: Asociacion Feminista Filipina

In 1905, the Asociacion Feminista Filipina, the first women’s club in the Philippines, dedicated to the promotion of social welfare and the encouragement of the participation of women in public affairs. It was founded by Concepcion Felix de Calderon, in collaboration with Trinidad Rizal, Clemencia Lopez, Bonifacio Delgado De Barretto, Maria Arevalo, Sofia Reyes, Helen Wilson, Paz Natividad, Maria de Villamor, Teresa Solis, Agueda and Jacoba Paterno.

A year later, in 1906, the Asociacion Feminista Ilonga was founded by Pura Villanueva Kalaw. Together, the two women’s organizations planted the seeds of women’s suffrage, going around the country to awaken the consciousness of women as equal partners of men in nation-building.