‪#‎Emilymatters‬ – What’s it all about?

#Emilymatters first appeared on social media at the beginning of 2014. If you’re wondering what it’s all about, here’s a summary:

Firstly, ‪#Emilymatters supports gender equality campaigns, including Emily Thornberry MP‘s important campaign for a statue of suffragette Emily Davison to be erected in the Houses of Parliament, No More Page 3, 5050Parliament as well as the work of organisations such as NAWO (National Alliance of Women’s Organisations).

 

Because Emily Davison campaigned for a more equal society, not just the vote.

 

 

We worked with Emily Thornberry’s team on an historic event (in support of the Emily Davison statue in Parliament campaign) that took place in the House of Commons on 13 February 2014.

 

 

The location of the event was extremely important, as it was very close to where Emily Davison made her audacious 1911 Census Night protest occupation of the House of Commons that the late Tony Benn would later commemorate with a plaque in the cupboard where she hid.

 

We all walked in Emily Davison’s footsteps that evening.

 

Emily Davison strove for an equal society and so it was important that we opened up the event to as wide an audience as possible and get people involved in the debate. Drawing on Emily’s pioneering use of  modern media, MasonClark Digital CIC assisted the social media campaign for the event and created a series of infographics like the one below:

 

 

 

 

I created the hashtag #Emilymatters as part of that campaign with the long term aim of highlighting gender equality issues and supporting campaigns to redress the balance.

 

It’s easy to get involved:

Post/tweet your #Emilymatters photo/selfie to @2FCPlay including #Emilymatters in the text in support of Emily Davison’s important legacy, namely gender equality campaigns, including Emily Thornberry MP‘s Emily Davison statue in Parliament campaign.

To find out more about how you can add your support, click here.

 

 

 

‘To Freedom’s Cause’ the campaign for equality – still worth fighting for?
Thursday 13th February, 2014

 

The whole evening and social media discussion in the weeks building up to the event were very much about women and men who are making a positive difference – who are a part of Emily Davison’s legacy today.

 

 

 

The event included a performance of my Emily Davison play To Freedom’s Cause, which was directed by Brian Astbury (Founder & Artistic Director of South Africa’s first non-racial theatre, The Space).

 

TO FREEDOM’S CAUSE should be seen by every woman and teenage girl. And by anyone who couldn’t be bothered to vote. Moving, stirring & passionate.
– Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4, Woman’s Hour presenter

 

To Freedom’s Cause is an ensemble piece that combines the politics of the women’s suffrage movement with the State sanctioned brutality the campaigners faced:

 

The play does not simply pay lip service to the suffragette movement, particularly Emily Wilding Davison and her extreme tactics. It examines multiple points of view and offers a meaningful interrogation of equality, democracy and what actions are necessary and permissible in the pursuit of what is deemed to be right and just.”
– A Younger Theatre

 

However, at the heart of the play is a mother’s love for her daughter, whose cause she supports, but who struggles to understand her child’s willingness to risk life and limb for it.

 

 

I cannot believe that you could have done such a dreadful act. Even for the Cause, which I know you have given up your whole heart & soul to & it has done so little in return for you.
– Extract from Margaret Davison’s last letter to her daughter after the 1913 Epsom,
which inspired me to write To Freedom’s Cause

 

 

****  CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PLAY’S MICRO TRAILER (45 SECONDS)  ****

 

An enlightening and thoughtful debate followed the performance, which was chaired by Jane Garvey (BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter), with:

Dr Helen Pankhurst (Great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst)
Chi Onwurah MP (Shadow Cabinet Office Minister & Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Emma Barnett (Women’s Editor of The Daily Telegraph and broadcaster)
Yas Necati (Feminist campaigner and winner of The Guardian Women awards 2013: Best hope for the future , UK)

 

****  CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DEBATE’S MICRO TRAILER (55 SECONDS)  ****

 

Jane Garvey held the debate together, bringing in audience comments and Twitter questions to the debate. There was a comment about the need for more sisterhood – how we need to stand together and support one another more. Another woman spoke about how difficult it was to go back to work on an equal footing after having a baby.
– Charlie Tarrant, feminist campaigner (weareunfinished.com)

 

Emily Davison is one of our most important feminist icons. Her legacy continues through current campaigns such as No More Page 3 and the Everyday Sexism Project, which is why we were thrilled that Yas Necati and Charlie Tarrant from the No More Page 3 campaign were involved in the event.

 

Emily Davison was a hero. But what makes heroes is not faultless, perfect super humans. It’s just ordinary people who decide they want to go out and do something really positive and that they’re really passionate about something. And if you have that sort of passion and that goodness, it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes sometimes, what matters is that you carry on with what you believe in.
– Yas Necati, feminist campaigner on the play’s portrayal of Emily Davison

 

Emily Davison represents a great movement for positive change. She is one of the most important women in the first wave of feminism who would make an inspiring figure among the sea of blokes in Parliament today, providing a clear example of the immense struggle women faced in order to get the vote as well as challenging us to continue to push for true equality.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who’s got involved so far by posting/tweeting @2FCPlay with their own #Emilymatters photos as well as signing the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament petition. 

 

The fourth wave of feminism continues to gain momentum, but many people still see feminism as a dirty word and question the importance of voting.

Building on the success of the special House of Commons event in February, To Freedom’s Cause and #Emilymatters are looking to further support and encourage positive change in the UK and across the globe – building on Emily Wilding Davison’s important legacy.

 

 

Take a look at the #Emilymatters flickr page, to see support for gender equality from far and wide, not just in the UK but across the globe:

 

 

 

As the recent BBC 2 documentary Blurred Lines so clearly showed, the UK still has some way to go before it becomes the equal society Emily Davison and her sister suffragettes campaigned for.

One of the legacy projects to come out of February’s special event is the To Freedom’s Cause & Other #Emilymatters weekly newsletter that also will include updates on the play:

You can also follow developments about the work of Kate Willoughby Productions, including the ongoing legacy of this play, by joining our mailing list or following @katewilloughby8 on Twitter.

 

Kate Willoughby
Actor & Writer of To Freedom’s Cause

 

 

  Emily Davison’s legacy is for life, not just for 2013.