Are our Children American?
It all started back in 1961, when Phyllis Michaux, an American woman married to a Frenchman and in France since 1946, finally found a friend. They got to talking about the future of their children, their American and French citizenship and wondered if there were other women "out there" in an isolated position. They had a question and an idea.
The question was, "How many people are affected by the citizenship law 301(b)?" At the time under section 301(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1960, children born overseas of one American parent would lose their American citizenship unless they lived five consecutive years in the United States between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight. Essentially the children would have to move to the United States sometime before their twenty-third birthday to retain their American citizenship.
The idea was to find out. And they did. And they did a lot more along the way. Both women sat down and drew up a questionnaire to be given to as many other American women as they could find. They put an ad in the International Herald Tribune calling for a meeting at the American Church, Quai d'Orsay, where they were able to use a room. 
About 15 people turned up, a few walked out and those who stayed decided to form a club. They set up a meeting for the month of May and needed a place to hold it. While walking down Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, Phyllis Michaux walked by a building with a sign reading "Club France-Amériques". She wandered in, ran into the manager in the lobby and explained the situation. The manager agreed to give the group a room.
Making our Voices heard
That summer Phyllis Michaux went to Washington and into the State Department to inform them about the new group. The effort paid off and in the fall, the then head of USIA was AAWE's first luncheon speaker. All the women were put on the list to receive information and documents about the United States to pass on to French family and friends. That was when the women at AAWE learned that American government officials will listen and help once you have explained things.
In October an article was written about AAWE and appeared in the Tribune — at the end it said for information to call Mrs. Raoul Michaux and gave the telephone number. And there were plenty of phone calls! After that, there were about 50 women gathering — almost none of whom knew any of the others — and some of them quite isolated. One woman got a map of Paris and pin-pointed the addresses and then they all gave teas by neighborhoods. The first gatherings began.
That first year, from April 1961 to the summer of 1962, the women at AAWE laid down the basis of the club's present activities. The proper declaration was made at the Préfecture, Gertrude de Gallaix wrote up a constitution and in Phyllis Michaux's words "tried to keep me in line from making too many mistakes". AAWE received the Head of the Passport Office and issued the first paper on citizenship laws. One member got up a panel on bilingualism and began her study. AAWE had Christmas and Halloween parties for the children and a party with the husbands. However, one of the most rewarding activities was getting the women together. Previously isolated, they had found someone to replace families and friends in America.
AAWE in Action
The women in AAWE didn't stop there. That initial question about the Nationality Act was still unanswered. In early 1961, Phylllis Michaux had read a clipping form the Washington Post about a court decision on the 301(b) section. An Italian American had challenged the law and won in a district court declaring the residence provision unconstitutional. However, it was noted that they were "aware of the considerable danger that children born and reared abroad, schooled where English is not taught, celebrating foreign holidays with the family of the non-American parent will have no meaningful connections with the US., its culture or heritage."
That was the perfect opportunity for AAWE to prove the contrary. From there, letters were written, lawyers were taken on and the project went from an idea to a co-filed amicus brief with the American Bar Association. AAWE contributions financed the legal fees, and although the case was lost in the Supreme Court, an amendment to the law was proposed in Congress. With more determination, the help of a lawyer, and a letter writing campaign the residence period was brought down from 5 to 2 years.
In the end, it was the ideas of AAWE that came before the Supreme Court and in Phyllis Michaux's words "It is really amazing what you can do with non-profit organization work. Never let yourself be put down because you belong to a women's club." AAWE has continued this work and expanded it over the years.
For a more detailed account of the whole story, The Unknown Ambassadors — A Saga of Citizenship by Phyllis Michaux
Citizenship
AAWE was founded to protect the citizenship rights of Americans married to Europeans and the children of these bicultural and bilingual families. We have been a crusading force in support of legislation that permits U.S. citizens abroad to retain and transmit their nationality. We have joined with other international groups to defend the rights of Americans living outside the United States. A Citizen Fact Sheet is regularly updated and available to members. Close ties are maintained with the American Embassy and Consular Division.