RaHN meeting: Sylvia Pankhurst and the East London Suffragettes and Ireland

Next meeting of the Radical History Network of North East London

Wednesday 29th June 7.30 p.m., Wood Green Social Club


In October 1912 Sylvia Pankhurst climbed onto a wooden platform outside an old baker's shop on Bow Road, and painted the words 'VOTES FOR WOMEN' in golden letters above the door. What began as a simple recruitment drive for the Women’s Social and Political Union soon sparked a rebellion in the suffragette ranks, and launched a mass movement for equality in the East End.

Our meeting will look at Sylvia Pankhurst’s life and legacy – both in London and internationally.

Speakers

Sarah Jackson is co-author of 'Voices From History: East London Suffragettes' and co-founder of the East End Women's Museum - www.eastendwomensmuseum.org

Geoffrey Bell is the author of the recently published 'Hesitant Comrades - The Irish Revolution and the British Labour Movement', described by one reviewer as “a fine example of politically committed scholarship”, and by another as “this fascinating book”. Bell has also written a recent article in 'History Ireland' on Sylvia Pankhurst and Ireland's 1916 Rising and its aftermath.

Plus discussion:

• How does this history connect with campaigns today?
• If everyone loves the suffragettes, why are women still struggling for equality?

Wednesday 29th June 7.30 pm
Wood Green Social Club, 3 Stuart Crescent, London N22 5NJ
(Off the High Rd, near Wood Green tube and buses 329/121/141)

Free to attend, all welcome.

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Previously on this blog:
The variously radical life of Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst
Radical History film show: Sylvia Pankhurst. 23rd April 2013
Meeting: Sylvia Pankhurst - Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire
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And report of our last meeting (9th March 2016):
A REVOLUTIONARY SCHOOLGIRL OF THE 1960s: Meeting report

East Enders of WWI: Exhibition and Events

(from East London Suffragette Festival Programme)

THROUGHOUT AUGUST: East Enders of WWI Exhibition

Tower Hamlets Community Housing are commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War by hosting an exhibition showing the faces and stories of many young people who lived or worked in Tower Hamlets when the war broke out, including the East London suffragettes.

See photos of the suffragettes’ activities in Bow and learn about their remarkable wartime work.

9.30am - 4.30pm Mon-Fri                Free

Tower Hamlets Community Housing, 285 Commercial Road, Stepney, London E1 2PS

Related events:-

SATURDAY 2 AUGUST

Explore Tower Hamlets WWI Archive

A day of talks, stalls and refreshments to launch Tower Hamlets’ WWI commemoration.

·         Michael Berlin (Birkbeck, University of London) will speak on ‘Pacifism in the East End during World War One’

·         Borough Archivist Malcolm Barr-Hamilton will highlight aspects of the collections relating to World War One

·         Author Sarah Jackson will speak about the remarkable wartime work of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes

11am – 5pm          Free

Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, 277 Bancroft Road, London E1 4DQ

SAT 2 – FRI 8 AUGUST

Suffragettes, Sisters and Struggles

An exhibition of radical posters of women’s activism from various sources, including the See Red Women’s Workshop.

10am to 6pm, not open Sunday            Free

Four Corners, 121 Roman Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 OQN 

SUNDAY 3 AUGUST

Meath Gardens History Picnic

Join us for a Sunday afternoon picnic in beautiful Meath Gardens. Learn about the history of the park (formerly Victoria Park Cemetery) and its creator Fanny Wilkinson - the first woman landscape gardener in Britain!

Meet at the entrance arch on Bullard’s Place (map: https://goo.gl/maps/DYAbA) From there we’ll walk a short distance to a good picnic spot or an alternative indoor venue if it’s raining. Please bring a towel or blanket to sit on and food to share!

1pm – 3pm        Free

WEDNESDAY 6 AUGUST

Minnie Lansbury

Historian Janine Booth will give a talk about local hero Minnie Lansbury: alderman, activist and one of the most active members of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes.

6.30pm – 7.45pm         Free

Bow Idea Store, 1 Gladstone Place, Roman Rd, London E3 5ES

East London Suffragette Festival August 2014

Festival starts in just 20 days! 

Programme

We have around ten events planned, and we're adding them to the programme page on the website as they are confirmed, and creating Facebook events for all of them too (although we have a bit of a backlog). Highlights include:

• Women's activism film night in Bethnal Green
• History picnic in Meath Gardens
• Sunday lunch at G Kelly's pie and mash shop on Roman Road
• Suffragette history walk around Bow

And of course our main event at Toynbee Hall on Saturday 9 August, with speakers including Laura Pankhurst, Louise Raw, Nimco Ali and Shahida Rahman, plus suffrage plays, poetry, workshops on creative writing and film-making, plus storytelling, crafts and facepainting for children.

Help us spread the word

Can you print and distribute a few of our flyers and posters in your neighbourhood? Here are the links to download from:

• Poster
• Flyer

We also need stewards and helpers to come down to Toynbee Hall  for our main event and help run the cake stall and the jumble sale and encourage people to fill in feedback forms. Even if you can only join us for a few hours that would be a big help. Please email womensmayday@gmail.com 

Meeting

Our last open meeting before it all kicks off is on Wednesday 16 July from 7pm in the meeting room at the Brady Arts Centre on Hanbury Street in Whitechapel.

Afterparty

We're having our festival afterparty at The Culpeper pub on Commercial Street from 6pm on Saturday 9 August. 

IDEAS FOR FREEDOM 2014

A weekend of socialist education, discussion, and debate hosted by Workers’ Liberty

Across the world, capitalists are waging class war against the living standards and rights of workers and the oppressed. At Ideas for Freedom, we will be asking: how can we effectively resist and fight back? And how can we organise and educate to revive and strengthen our movement for the long term?

Thursday 3-Sunday 6 July 2014
University of London Union, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY

The main body of the event will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July at ULU, but there will also be events at other venues on the evening of Thursday 3 and Friday 4 July. Full agenda below.

For the Facebook event click here.

Free creche and accommodation (get in touch to book) and cheap food.

More information or to book accommodation or creche: awl@workersliberty.org

IDEAS FOR FREEDOM 2014 AGENDA begins:

THURSDAY 3 JULY

Radical Walking Tour of East London
Meet 6pm, Bow Church DLR
Facebook event here.

FRIDAY 4 JULY

A century of radical women's struggles, 1914-2014
7pm, The Exmouth Arms, Starcross Street, Euston NW1 2HR
Including: Jill Mountford on the women's movement during World War 1; film about the Grunwick strike; Unison activist Jean Lane on Women Against Pit Closures; SUArts President Shelly Asquith on women workers' and students' struggles at London universities; RMT Women's Committee Chair Becky Crocker on transforming the labour movement.
With food. Facebook event here.

For Saturday and Sunday workshops, see: http://www.workersliberty.org/ideas