Category Archives: Women’s History

4 March 2023 19:00 ~ Great Black Women in Caribbean History – Black History Studies – Online

This informative and inspirational presentation tells the story of the hidden contribution of women to the development of Caribbean.

The invisibility of Black women in the early books on the history of the Caribbean is linked to the fact that some historians felt that women’s issues did not merit inclusion and their contributions were ignored.

It is important to recognise that the study of Black Women’s History makes for a much more inclusive, richer, fuller and more importantly, truthful account of World History.

In this presentation, the topics covered will include the pioneers and writers of Caribbean Women’s History, the contributions and role of the indigenous women of the Caribbean. We will also examine the contributions and role of Caribbean Women during transatlantic enslavement period and the First and Second (“European”) World Wars. Finally, we will look at the involvement of Caribbean Women in Political movements and the organisations that established in the region.

* This webinar will take place on Saturday 4 March 2023 from 19:00 – 21:00 GMT.
* Tickets for this webinar cost £8.00 per person.
* Finishes 21:00

This is a WEBINAR via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration within 24 hours of the event. If you do not receive the ticket before the event, please call 0208 881 0660 or 07951 234233 before 18:30 on the day. The link is sent via Zoom so check your spam folder.

For full details and tickets go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-great-black-women-in-caribbean-history-tickets-546448390847?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

March 1, 2023

9 August 2022 18:00 ~ Celebrating South African Women’s Day – The Liliesleaf Trust UK – London

Join us for an evening of film, exhibitions and discussion inspired by the themes of South African Women’s Day

To mark South African Women’s Day 2022, The Liliesleaf Trust UK, joined by artist Nefateri, are screening the ground-breaking film “Murder in Paris”, an investigative documentary that traces the motives for the assassination of Anti-Apartheid activist Dulcie September.

Our commissioned artist, Nefateri Asantewa, will be exhibiting and talking about her work “South African Flag“, which gives reference to the over 20 000 women who took part in the 1956 Women’s March to Pretoria, South Africa, celebrating their resilience and contribution to the struggle against apartheid and provokes thinking about ongoing inequalities.

During the evening attendees will also be able to view the exhibition, Pride Belongs to the People: Images of Soweto Pride on display at Newington Green Meeting House, held as part of The Culthouse’s Pop Up Shop supported by The Leverhulme Trust and the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster.

The audience will be invited to participate in a conversation on the role and impact of women in the fight against apartheid. Together, we will explore the stories, histories and voices of former generations to inspire future ones.

  • Free (*)
  • 6-8 pm
  • Newington Green Meeting House, 39A Newington Green, N16 9PR
  • Nearest station : Canonbury overground station
  • Local buses from Finsbury Park Station

Click here to visit the Murder In Paris official website.

The Organisers

The Liliesleaf Trust UK is a registered charity, established in 2018, dedicated to engagement with the heritage and values of the Southern African liberation struggle, international solidarity with the cause and in particular the activities of South(ern) Africans exiled in the UK, the British Anti-Apartheid movement (AAM) and the wider movement against apartheid (MAA) and, most importantly, the contemporary relevance of these narratives.

Drawing from this world-changing history, we promote solidarity, social justice, equality, human rights, reconciliation, and anti-racism to encourage positive action for diverse contemporary communities through arts, cultural and educational programming. We facilitate engaging with the struggle’s heritage to support intergenerational community cohesion, skills development and aspiration to underpin positive social transformation.

We are working to redevelop 28 Penton Street, Islington, the African National Congress-in-exile’s former UK headquarters into the Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning (CML). The CML will become the first permanent UK venue to make accessible the heritage of the MAA, channelling the legacy of one of the most influential, Black-led social justice movements of the 20th Century and solidarity with the cause.

(*) Register online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebrating-south-african-womens-day-tickets-390497798427

August 4, 2022

Official apology sought in recognition of lasting suffering caused by adoption practices in 1950s-1970s involving unmarried mothers – JCHR

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has called on the Government to issue a formal apology to unmarried mothers who had their babies taken for adoption in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

In a report published on 15 July 2022, the Joint Committee finds that the Government bears ultimate responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by public institutions and state employees that railroaded mothers into unwanted adoptions. It further calls for more to be done to support those dealing with the life-long consequences of these adoptions, urging the Government to improve access to counselling and remove barriers to accessing adoption documents.

Between 1949 and 1976, in England and Wales an estimated 185,000 children were taken from unmarried mothers and adopted. Women and girls who became pregnant outside of marriage during these decades were seen as having shamed themselves and their families. Babies were taken from their mothers who did not want to let them go.

Key findings and recommendations

Over the course of the inquiry, the Joint Committee heard harrowing testimonies from the mothers, adopted people and their relatives who went through these traumatic experiences and still live with the legacy of suffering. While each case is unique, their stories share common threads that make clear the cruelty  they suffered.

The report details the fear that unmarried women and girls felt when they discovered they were pregnant and the difficulty in seeking help. Families and institutions, including schools, churches, social and healthcare workers, prioritised hiding what was regarded as a shameful situation rather than providing emotional and medical support, in many cases sending unmarried mothers far away from where they lived so their pregnancy could remain a secret from their family and community.

Mothers and adoptees spoke of the life-long of suffering and impact on their mental health and challenges in forming future relationships. The report calls for better access to adoption-specific counselling for those affected by the legacy of adoption practices during this time and in these circumstances. It urges the Government to take urgent steps to remove barriers resulting in the lack of counsellors trained in post-adoption support.

There remain challenges for those trying to trace their mother or child. Despite having a legal entitlement to adoption records, some applicants have to wait months or years to receive them. Birth and adoption certificates contain different names making it difficult to link the two. Adopted people face serious difficulties from not knowing their parents’ medical history, unable to take preventative care for inheritable diseases. The report calls for on the Government to remove bureaucratic barriers that are exacerbating the trauma of these adoptions. Guidelines should be set for local authorities to improve access to records and their performance monitored. Birth and adoption certificates, should be linked and there should be improved sharing of medical information, while respecting data protection and privacy laws.

Publishing the report, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP said:

“The unique importance of the bond between mother and child has been acknowledged down the centuries. Yet in this country, just a few decades ago, that bond between hundreds of thousands of mothers and their babies was brutally ruptured and the baby taken for adoption. The mothers’ only ‘crime’ was to have become pregnant while unmarried. Their ‘sentence’ was a lifetime of secrecy and pain. They were told they had ‘given’ their baby for adoption when they had done no such thing. Their child grew up being told that their mother had ‘given them away’. The mothers had to endure a cruel double dose of shame. First, the shame of getting pregnant out of wedlock and second, when society’s attitude to unmarried mothers changed, they were judged for supposedly not caring about their babies and giving away their baby.

“These adoptions would never happen now and should not have happened then. They did nothing wrong but were themselves wronged. The joint committee on Human rights acknowledges the grave wrong done to these mothers and their children. It is time for the government to do the same and issue the apology they seek.  For decades they have been vilified.  Now they need to be vindicated”

Part of a longer press release at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/93/human-rights-joint-committee/news/172077/official-apology-sought-in-recognition-of-lasting-suffering-caused-by-adoption-practices-in-1950s1970s-involving-unmarried-mothers-jchr/

 

July 15, 2022

Allow the flying of Suffrage flag as a symbol of women’s equality – Petition to Parliament

Since its introduction in 1908, the Suffrage flag* of the Women’s Social and Political Union has attained iconic status as a symbol of women’s equality.

Catalogued under WOA T52 of the Parliamentary Collection, it deserves the same legal recognition granted to e.g. the Rainbow and NHS flags.

This petition calls for an amendment to the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations.

A new category of flag should be added to those recognised as having the deemed consent of the local planning authority to be flown:

This would place the flag alongside the Rainbow and NHS flags as a mark of civic pride, formally recognising and celebrating an integral part of British history.

* the Suffrage flag (three horizontal equal stripes of purple, white and green).

You can sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/618644

Note:

  • At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition
  • At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

 

June 24, 2022

Allow the flying of Suffrage flag as a symbol of women’s equality – Petition to Parliament

Since its introduction in 1908, the Suffrage flag* of the Women’s Social and Political Union has attained iconic status as a symbol of women’s equality.

Catalogued under WOA T52 of the Parliamentary Collection, it deserves the same legal recognition granted to e.g. the Rainbow and NHS flags.

This petition calls for an amendment to the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations.

A new category of flag should be added to those recognised as having the deemed consent of the local planning authority to be flown:

This would place the flag alongside the Rainbow and NHS flags as a mark of civic pride, formally recognising and celebrating an integral part of British history.

* the Suffrage flag (three horizontal equal stripes of purple, white and green).

You can sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/618644

Note:

  • At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition
  • At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

 

June 24, 2022