As we approach International Women’s Day (March 8) today we will be celebrating inspiring Cockney women as part of the Modern Cockney Festival.
The inspiring stories of working-class London women who overcome adversity to fight for social justice has largely been untold. A pantheon of extraordinarily brave, courageous, and determined women is celebrated at our special event ‘Cockney Women together’.
Providing inspiration for women of today, the event provides an opportunity to discover more about the Matchgirls strike – the very first strike by women for women, Suffragettes who fought for votes for women, the women who fought fascists in the ‘Battle of Cable Street’, and tragic stories of those gave their lives in the cause of social justice, and many more inspiring stories.
Speakers at the event include Samantha Johnson, great granddaughter of Sarah Chapman, one of the key figures in the Matchgirls Strike and now Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Matchgirls Memorial; Kate Connelly, historian and leading expert on East End Suffragettes; Kim Bennett, the Pearly Queen of Woolwich sharing stories of inspiring Pearly Queens; and Sba Shaikh, an artist with an Indian soul with an East End spirit celebrating the women that inspire her. Chaired by Marcia La-Rose, Head of HR at Four Communications.
The event celebrates women working together, communities of ‘ordinary people’ in sisterhood, through solidarity and equality, standing up for themselves, standing their ground and standing together, where event organisers believe these lessons of unity ae even more important for today.
The event will also feature an exhibition and artefacts of the Matchgirls Strike.
The free 60 minute event is at 12.30pm on Tuesday March 7th at Four Communications, The Hickman Building,2 Whitechapel Road. London E1 1FX.
Book here www.cockneywomentogether.eventbrite.com
Further details about the Modern Cockney Festival, and to book tickets for the Festival’s 10 free events visit www.growsocialcapital.org.uk/campaigns/cockney
Janine Booth, author of the excellent ‘Guilty and Proud of it: Poplar’s Rebel Councillors and Guardians 1919-1925’ (Merlin Press, 2009) kindly penned this tribute to, Minnie Lansbury, someone whom we both greatly admire, but I suspect few have heard of.
Janine writes:
“Minnie Lansbury is my political hero. The daughter of Jewish immigrants from Poland, she grew up in Whitechapel and became and teacher and active trade unionist. She got involved with the local movement for votes for women, which was based on working-class women (and men) unlike the ‘Votes for Ladies’ campaigns elsewhere.
She eventually left her teaching job to work full-time as Assistant Secretary of the East London Federation of Suffragettes (the Secretary was Sylvia Pankhurst) and took an active role in fighting for rights and support for ex-servicemen and their dependents. After the War, Labour won a huge majority on Poplar Borough Council and Minnie became an Alderman.
Minnie campaigned for – and delivered – better provision for mothers and babies and for other services too. When recession hit, Poplar Council found itself having to choose between cutting services and breaking the law, and it chose to break the law, refusing to collect or hand over money to cross-London authorities. Minnie and 29 other Poplar Labour Councillors were sent to prison, thousands of people demonstrated in their support, and after six weeks, they were released, having won a major chance to local government funding in favour of poorer Boroughs. Sadly, Minnie’s time in prison had adversely affected her health, and she died on New Year’s Day 1922 aged just 32”.
Today, and tomorrow, we will honour Minnie, and those who share her fight for social justice, whatever the cost.
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