Thursday 8 March 2012

Emmeline Pankhurst: 'deeds not words'


As the world marks today International Women's Day, here at T&s we will also have our own small event with the screening of a fabulous film (Made in Dagenham) that highlights the struggle of a group of women who were working at a factory and fought for equal pay in the 60s. Long before that fight, there were many other ones throughout the world; this post wants to celebrate the figure of a woman whose legacy is today acknowledged as helping to raise awareness about society's injustices towards women. Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and suffragette who created and led the Women's Social and Political Union, a movement that defended and carried out civil disobedience acts; she took part in different hunger strikes and travelled widely, campaigning for women's equality and of course the right to vote. For some, Pankhurst remains a controversial figure not only because of her tactics but also her late defence of the British Empire and its values. That aside, it seems clear that Pankhurst was a pivotal figure whose influence towards the creation of a feminist movement and conscious has to be recognised and praised.
So let's raise our mug (or cup) and toast to all the women who have and are doing their bit towards a fairer society.

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