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Totah, Eva Marshall (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This single interview with Totah, conducted in her home, explores her Quaker background and peace work, as well as her involvement in a college club at the University of Iowa. 2/12/1973
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- 2020-01-28
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- *** File: sufemtotah1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:07)... Tape introduction (2:07-6:13)... Raised in a Quaker household, Totah lived in South Dakota until she was 16, at which time her family moved to Iowa where her brother attended college. There were very few Quakers in Iowa, which prompted her parents to start a Quaker group there. Her father was very supportive of women's rights, having been raised in a similar atmosphere. Her mother was a very quiet person who dominated the household. Her mother and father never had different expectations of her and her brother. She was expected to go to college and pursue whatever interested her. The emphasis in her family was on self-expression, rather than a career. Although there was not an active suffrage group in the town where they lived, her mother was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and became involved in suffrage through that organization. (6:13-8:34)... She became conscious of women's rights prior to the suffrage movement. As a child and a young woman she never felt as if obstacles would stand in the way of her progress. Her father was a pioneer and helped to organized the South Dakota territory. When South Dakota was given statehood, her father became the first auditor in the county and later, the treasurer, at which time they moved to Iowa. (8:34-10:53)... When she moved to Iowa she attended a boys and girls academy and later enrolled in William Penn College, both of which were Friends (Quaker) organizations. When students at William Penn expressed an interest in the suffrage movement, three female professors helped them organize a suffrage club. Meetings were held every two weeks and the group organized public activities. The suffrage group attempted to stimulate interest in suffrage among the male students, many of whom were supportive. (10:53-13:33)... She was a charter member and secretary of the suffrage club at William Penn. The group's activities entailed reading, studying, talking, and agitating about suffrage. The club consisted of approximately 30 women; there were no male members. Women's rights were a topic of discussion in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, while the suffrage club concentrated on women's political activities and their right to vote. (13:33-15:07)... Most of the women she organized with did not identify themselves as feminists. Many women were immature and wanted to please the male students, fearing that a feminist opinion would alienate them. She was a feminist and believed that women should stand up for their rights and for suffrage. Quakers have a long tradition in feminist thought; Quaker women like Susan B. Anthony furthered the initiative for social reform and women's rights. (15:07-18:31)... She organized the suffrage club when she was a junior at William Penn College and worked with the group until she graduated. After she graduated, she moved to Philadelphia and attended graduate school at Haverford College with her brother. While in Philadelphia, she attended a banquet in support of suffrage. She was encouraged to return to South Dakota and organize a suffrage group, but had already committed to work in a peace caravan there. After working in South Dakota for the summer, she traveled to Chicago where she attended a drama school for two years. (18:31-21:01)... She discusses the years she was in graduate school at Haverford and completing her peace caravan work in South Dakota. Despite this peace caravan work, she was not involved in any anti-war activities during World War I. Totah spent time at a drama school in Chicago and intended to pursue a career in that field, but was sidetracked by other interests. (21:01-24:48)... After finishing her program at the drama school, she pursued a career in Release Time Education through Northwestern University in Chicago. She eventually opened up a Release Time religious school for grades four through high school, where she worked as both the director and instructor. (24:48-27:36)... Because she was so focused on her career, she did not think about getting married or having a family. In 1923, she returned to William Penn College where she taught in both the Physical Education Department and the Religious Department for four years. In 1927, she was invited to go to Palestine to teach at a Friends school, which she accepted. (27:36-29:36)... When she graduated from William Penn College, she was no longer associated with the suffrage club there. Her involvement in the suffrage movement was limited at this time, as the suffrage amendment was passed. She recalls being very excited about participating in politics and did vote in the first election open for women. (29:36-34:00)... She describes her peace caravan work, explaining that it was a Friends organization that acquainted people and provided educational instruction on peace activities. Her father was very supportive of all Friends organizations and sponsored many of the group's activities. For instance, her father sent her to the first Friends World's Peace Conference in London, where she represented the Friends of South Dakota. She also traveled to seven European countries where she saw the battlefields and the reconstruction work Friends were completing there. Compared to other women, she was very independent for the time. However, she did not think her situation was unusual because of the environment in which she grew up. She knew of very few women who were afforded similar opportunities. She did not encounter any obstacles in her personal or professional career and both her mother and father trusted and supported the choices she made. (34:00-37:59)... She traveled to Palestine to teach at a Friends school for one year. At the end of the first year, she married the Palestinian principal of the Friends' boy's school. Her husband was very dedicated to educating the people of Palestine and devoted his life to teaching. (37:59-42:36)... When she went to Palestine she settled in Ramallah, a town of approximately 4,000-5,000 people. There were two Friends schools there; 40 percent of her students came from Muslim families. While working and living in the largely Christian community of Ramallah, she did not experience any negative treatment because she was a woman; nor did she witness any ill treatment of Palestinian women there. Although the tribal organization of the land is discriminatory towards women, there were women who were in charge of certain tribes. (42:36-43:40)... In Ramallah, women were subjected to arranged marriages to someone the family knew very well. While women stayed home and cared for the household and the children, Arab men went to work and provided for the women. (43:40-44:51)... After she was married, she continued to teach at the Friends school in Palestine. She also taught drama courses at both the Friends Girls and Boys schools. end of tape *** File: sufemtotah2.mp3 (0:00-1:31)... While in Ramallah, she spent most of her time teaching at the Boys school and periodically taught at the Girls school. The first year, she taught several subjects and later settled into teaching only English and the Bible. There were a lot of Westerners living in the Ramallah while she was there; the principal of the Girls school was an American and several teachers at the Friends school were also Americans. (1:31-5:10)... After she married, she wanted to assist her husband with his program of education. They raised money in the United States that allowed them to build five buildings for the school. When Friends visited Palestine, they were asked by local Palestinians to start a school for girls because there were none. The Girls school was opened in the middle of the 1860s and the boys school was opened in 1901. The Friends work in Palestine began with the girls school, which is also when her husband became a Friend. (5:10-7:21)... The classes at the Palestinian schools were taught in both English and Arabic. From elementary to sixth grade, instruction was in Arabic and the children slowly transitioned into English. In the secondary school, instruction was only in English. While teaching, she spoke English and did not learn how to speak Arabic while living in Palestine. (7:21-10:45)... In 1944, she and her family left Palestine with intentions of returning. They left the country because her husband's health was failing and they wanted their children to receive an education in the United States. Her husband headed the Institute of Arab and American Affairs in New York for five years. They settled in New Jersey and their children attended Friends schools. When she returned to the United States she joined the League of Women Voters where she was able to satisfy her hunger for intellectual discussion. She maintained her membership with the organization when they moved to Whittier, California. She also joined an women's organization, which activities included sewing for the war effort. (10:45-14:21)... Although she taught in Palestine while her children were growing up, she did not believe she was giving her career up when she moved to the United States. Her husband was very liberal and was understanding of her needs. She was never made to feel that his responsibilities were more important than her activities and she was provided with the freedom to pursue her interests. However, when they moved to the United States she took on domestic responsibilities that she did not have while living in Palestine, which limited her time to a certain extent. Her children had to get adjusted to a new kind of education in the United States. In 1950, they moved to Whittier, California. (14:21-18:17)... They moved to California after her husband finished his work with the Institute of American and Arab Affairs. While in California, her husband often spoke and taught at various venues. In 1954, her husband wrote a book and was working on another work on how Palestinians interpreted the Bible. She tried to finish this book after his death, but began to experience problems with her eyes. In 1959 and 1964, she returned to Palestine and the town of Ramallah. She noticed many differences in the town, particularly the increase in population; approximately 60,000 refugees flooded the town. The town also became predominantly Muslim. (18:17-22:53)... When she returned to Palestine, she did not observe very many differences in the treatment of Arab women. She describes her visit with a Muslim family and the roles of the men and women, stating that both sexes had the opportunity to pursue an education. In most Arab families, however, women typically stay in the household while the men go out and work. She stated that there are also many women in Arab countries who are living in harems. (22:53-25:01)... When she returned to Palestine, she did not observe many changes because she did not travel to different villages. However, she describes a refugee village she traveled to during her 1964 visit, stating that the village was destroyed as a result of war and the people there were developing a chicken farm for subsistence. (25:01-26:38)... When she originally left Palestine, she expected to return. However, when they moved to California they knew they would never return to Palestine. It was very difficult for her family to get their money out of Palestine after they left. (26:38-30:45)... When she moved to California she again became active in Release Time education. She also taught religious classes in a church for three years. She was active in various organizations, including the United Nations Organization and the League of Women Voters. She eventually left these organizations and abandoned many of her church activities. She became interested in the psychological and spiritual use of colors and moved to a small community owned by a friend. (30:45-36:18)... She did occasionally go to meetings at the Santa Monica Friends group. (Break in tape.) After women got the vote, they did not continue to work for the things they believed in. The vote for women was leverage that allowed women to pursue other changes in society; however, women did not take advantage of this power. She believed that women would clean up politics and society after they received the vote, and they would exert a moral force. However, after women got the vote, corruption in government did not subside. She blames herself for this because she did not work towards women's rights after suffrage was won, but pursued her own career and interests. (36:18-38:36)... She believed that suffrage would lead to a general equality in society, but she did not envision the struggle for women's rights that lay ahead. During the suffrage movement, she only expected that women should have the vote and viewed it as a victory. She did think that "now we have equal rights," but rather believed that the vote would give women the opportunity to change government. (38:36-40:52)... Besides her activities with the William Penn suffrage club, she was not involved in any other suffrage activities. She later became a member of the League of Women Voters. She did not believe that there would be a women's voting bloc after suffrage was won. If women took advantage of what was offered them and became more active in politics, there would be no need for a women's bloc. There are no differences between men and women. People possess different qualities and attributes irrespective of sex. Women have the capabilities for political activism and can work with a man in any area. (40:52-42:15)... Her father influenced her ideas on feminism more than her mother. Although her mother did not discuss women's rights or feminism, she dominated the decisions in the household and did not have to fight for what she wanted. Totah's father was not active in the temperance movement with her mother. (42:15-45:26)... She partly holds herself responsible for the failure of women to enact change in society because she pursued her own goals and distanced herself from the movement. <break in tape> While at William Penn College, the female professors were the steam behind the suffrage club. Totah would have liked to work for the suffrage movement following graduation from William Penn, but believed it was inevitable that women would get the vote irrespective of her efforts. end of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Eva Marshall Totah was active in a suffrage club at a Quaker college in Iowa. After graduation, she attended a drama school in Chicago and considered pursuing a career in acting, but then became involved in religious teaching instead. This took her to Palestine where she taught at the Friends school in Ramallah and married the Palestinian Quaker who was principal of the school. She stayed in Palestine for 18 years. Upon her return to the United States, Totah was involved in volunteer and reform groups, such as the League of Women Voters. In addition to discussing her Quaker beliefs and their relationship to feminism and suffrage, she talks about her disappointment following the passage of the suffrage amendment. She had hoped that women would provide a new moral force to society. Her own activities with regards to women's rights following her return from Palestine in 1948 were limited to involvement in the League of Women Voters. Totah, who was 77 at the time of the interview, had been listed with the National Organization for Women as a participant in the 50th Jubilee of the League of Women Voters. A one hour interview was conducted with her in 1973, when she was 81 years old. In addition to shedding light on college suffrage groups, her interview provides some interesting glimpses into the views of an outsider in pre-1948 Palestine. TOPICS - Topics covered on this side of the tape include: Totah's Quaker background; education at William Penn and Haverford Colleges; the suffrage club at William Penn; peace caravan work in South Dakota; her move to Palestine in 1927; teaching at Friends School in Ramallah; marriage;Topics covered on this side of the tape include: teaching at the Friends School in Ramallah, Palestine; return to US; volunteer activities, including LWV; domestic life; observations about changes in Palestine on return visits in 1959 and 1964; return to religious teaching in California; retirement;
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