Celebrating 120 years of AAUW Honolulu

By Barbara Bumatay Picayo

2025 is a landmark year for AAUW Honolulu. This year marks 120 years since AAUW Honolulu first began championing education and empowerment in our community.

Pictured: A gathering of AAUW Honolulu presidents at their golden anniversary celebration in 1955 - Honolulu Advertiser May 3, 1955.

AAUW Honolulu began at an unlikely time. In 1905, the Hawaiian Islands had yet to have a university or any institution of higher learning (The University of Hawaiʻi was established in 1907) and women had not yet been granted the right to vote (that wasn't until 1920). It truly is remarkable that women in the Hawaiian Islands traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to pursue college degrees on the mainland United States. Despite these obstacles 120 years ago, eight college-educated women in Honolulu came together to create the College Club.

The College Club went on to join forces with what would become the American Association of University Women in 1917. Their mission was clear and forward-thinking: to champion higher education for women at a time when such opportunities were rare. These women weren't just graduates – they were visionaries who helped pave the way for future generations of female scholars in Hawaiʻi.

This year, AAUW Honolulu celebrates its 120th year of supporting higher education for women in Hawaiʻi. We have also expanded our mission by striving to advance gender equity and exploring relevant issues surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Our goal is to better understand the barriers that women in Hawaiʻi face and how AAUW Honolulu can use its resources to engage and support all local women.