The Polish Women's Alliance of America ( pol. ''Związek Polek w Ameryce'') is a fraternal benefit society that was founded on May 22, 1898 in Chicago, Illinois. The Polish Women's Alliance was founded by Stefania Chmielinska, a Polish immigrant who worked as a seamstress in Chicago. Chmielinska was vocal in her belief that women deserved equality and actively worked to promote this cause. Her belief in the ability of immigrant women to establish themselves into an organization that would promote self-sufficiency and offer financial stability was quite progressive for the 1900s, when women were still not allowed to vote. The right of women to pursue higher education, the right to enter many professions, and the right of women to purchase life insurance in their own names were some of the issues tackled by the founders of the Polish Women's Alliance. Stefania Chmielinska and other founding members worked against these restrictions and developed the Alliance into a national organization as well as a leader in the Polish and

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Poles, Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing abou ...

communities. The Polish Women's Alliance has been actively involved in some of the most central events and causes in Polish–American life. Among these were Poland’s determination to become a nation after the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

, during which the country lacked an independent existence; funding the purchase of radium for the experiments of Madame Maria Sklodowska Curie; a fundraising effort for a Polish Women's Alliance bomber for the United States Air Force during World War II; the founding and organizing of the Polish American Congress in 1944; restoration and renovation projects for the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

and Ellis Island; supporting the

National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa ''(or simply Czestochowa)'', known also as the American Czestochowa is a Polish-American Roman Catholic shrine near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, founded in 1953. It houses a reproduction of the Black ...

in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; and supporting the

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is a national shrine in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. It is a place of prayer for Catholics and welcomes people of all faiths. The Shrine houses a permanent exhibit called ''A Gift o ...

in Washington D.C., and the Pope John Paul II Pilgrim Home in Rome. The PWAA actively sponsors many Polish cultural events such as Polish language, literature, folklore, history and folkdance lessons, festivals and youth conferences. They have also sponsored religious, hospital, and children's institutions in Poland, including a school for the blind in Laski, Poland. Local units are called "Groups" and regional organizations are called "Councils". The headquarters of the Alliance is in Park Ridge, Illinois. The Alliance had 90,000 members in 1979, but declined to 65,000 members in 1994.Axelrod p.198

References

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External links

PWAA Official PagePolish Women's Alliance of America Records
at the

Women and Leadership Archives The Women and Leadership Archives is an archives in Chicago, Illinois. Located on the Campus of Loyola University Chicago. Established in 1994, the Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) collects and makes available permanently valuable records of wom ...

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...

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Polish Women's Alliance of America Records
a
the Newberry Library
Polish-American history Fraternal service organizations based in Chicago Polish-American culture in Chicago Polish-American organizations Polish diaspora organizations Women's organizations based in the United States Women in Illinois Organizations established in 1898 Ethnic fraternal orders in the United States