Anita Pollitzer

Anita Lily Pollitzer (October 31, 1894 – July 3, 1975) was an American photographer and suffragist.

Early life and education Anita Lily Pollitzer was born October 31, 1894, in Charleston, South Carolina. and Gustave Pollitzer, who ran a cotton company at Charleston, South Carolina.

Anita was raised Jewish and, as a young woman, taught Sabbath school in Charleston at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. She was later a "nonobservant" Jew and relied upon her own personal strength, rather than reliance on religion. In response to her sister Mabel, who said in prayer, "God gave me mountains to climb and the strength to climb them," Anita's response was, "I don’t want God to give me mountains to climb…I want to find my own."

Anita graduated from Memminger High School in 1913 and left Charleston to study art at Teachers College, Columbia University. This was the beginning of one of the most significant relationships among artists in the 20th century;

Suffragist In January 1919, Anita went to Florida in an attempt to persuade state legislators to urge the U.S. Senators to support the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, this was a tactic used by the NWP to try to get federal action. She also attempted to gain media support by attending the South Florida Press Association meeting where she impressed editors so the Association passed a resolution favoring women's suffrage. thumb Photograph of (left to right) Alice Paul, Sue White, Florence Boeckel, Anita Pollitzer (center, holding hat), Mary Winsor, Sophie Meredith, and Mrs. Richard Wainwright of the National Woman's Party standing on front steps in front of new national headquarters building, across from the U.S. capitol in May 1922 Pollitzer was instrumental in the passage of the 19th Amendment. After it was ratified, Anita worked to encourage the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, which was first presented to Congress by Alice Paul in 1923. Pete Seeger's uncle. Pollitzer died on July 3, 1975, in New York City.

In media In 2021, PBS ran a special titled SC Suffragists: Clubwomen, The Pollitzer Sisters, and the Vote, which was in part about Anita.