Pan-American Conference of Women
The countries who accepted the invitation to be present at the Conference and who sent delegates, were: Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The foreign delegates who attended the Congress were carefully chosen and were not political appointments but represented the most progressive and brilliant women in their countries.
[1] The invitations to the governments of South and Central American countries to send delegates to this conference were forwarded through the US State Department and its diplomatic representatives in the Republics of Latin America.
The plans were first presented to Hughes and Hoover by a delegation consisting of Park, Madeleine Lemoyne Ellicott, Matilda Backus Maloy, and Lavinia Engle, representing the Maryland League of Women Voters; Gov.
[3][1] The subject of the second day began with "Women in Industry," at which speeches were made by the delegates, Mary McDowell and Mrs. Raymond Robins of Chicago.
The afternoon was devoted to a session on, the "Prevention of Traffic in Women," presided over by Parker, at which speeches were made by several government officials and all the delegates.
This session was again closed by the delegate from the US, who urged greater supervision of commercialized amusements for young people and the extension of constructive programs of wholesome recreation.
Among the invited guests were Robert Garcia, consul of Mexico, and Elena Landázuri, who served as a Spanish translator for the conference, as well as all of the delegates.
A visiting delegate from Poland paid a high tribute to the participation of the United States in the work of the great World War.
In the conference on Traffic in Women, a hopeful note was sounded by the delegate from Panama, who presented clearly and in forceful terms, the spiritual aspect of the problem.
Again at this conference Graciela Mandujano, of Chile, a student at Columbia University, spoke of the White Cross League, organized by women of her nation for protective work among girls.
A high water mark in progress was reported by Aurora Herrera de Nóbregas, of the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico, with its budget of $3,000,000 for education.
All delegates with the exception of Maria Clotilde Voga, of Nicaragua, stressed the importance of government aid in child welfare work.
This objective was finally achieved when at the Belvedere Hotel, on April 27, the organization meeting of the Pan-American Association of Women was held, at which Park was elected president.
Following the completion of the meetings of the Pan-America Conference, practically all of the foreign delegates remained in Baltimore as the guests of the Convention of the National League of Women Voters.
[2] Among the US delegates was Sadie L. Adams, an African-American suffragist and the president of the Chicago and Northern District Association of Colored Women's Clubs.
