#Emilymatters – It’s Emily’s birthday & you’re invited!
Emily matters is a social media campaign to support and advance gender equality, particularly focusing on the importance of voting. See our #Emilymatters page to find out more about what we do.
# E M I L Y M A T T E R S – B I R T H D A Y C E L E B R A T I O N S
The 11th October is suffragette Emily Davison’s birthday. It’s also International Day of the Girl. Last year we received lots of wonderful Happy Birthday Emily messages and #Votingmatters photos.
This year, in the lead up to Emily’s birthday and the UK release of the pioneering film Suffragette, we would love you to send your #DearEmily messages.
It’s an ideal chance for you to share your reflections on the progress made since Emily and sister suffragettes fought to ensure that women of ‘generations yet unborn’ would have the right to vote and an equal say in what matters.
Please include #DearEmily in your message and Tweet | Post | Gram us!
- Would Emily be pleased with what she’d see today?
- Are we truly equal?
- What will you do to make a positive difference?
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The BBC’s Great British Bake Off has finished for another year (congratulations Nadiya Hussain!) and we’d love you join our virtual tea party this Sunday!
We’ll be celebrating the courage, tenacity and downright brilliance of Emily Davison, Sophia Duleep Singh, Sylvia Pankurst and their sister suffragettes with cake! Baked or bought. Just add your #DearEmily birthday message
Emily lived life to the full and had a multitude of friends, so get your suffragette colours on (purple, white & green), because everyone’s invited!
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So join us via @Emilymatters as we celebrate this ‘Bright Sunbeam’ of a woman, her brave Band of Sister Suffragettes and all those who continue to push for equality today, from 4.30pm on Sunday 11th October (UK).
Please include #DearEmily in your message and Tweet | Post | Gram us!
- Raise a cup & have a slice of cake or something sweet (baked or bought)
- Include a birthday greeting to Emily, with #DearEmily in your message
- It’s also a chance to get your 21st century suffragette colours on (purple, white & green) – wear them with pride!
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To round off the afternoon, join our new Twitter chat (6.30-7pm BST), which will focus on the legacy of the suffragettes on the eve of the UK wide release of the new Suffragette film.
Like Emily Davison herself, we believe in social justice and equality worldwide, not just the right to vote. We’ve got some big plans in the pipeline, so now’s a great time to get in touch.
See our #Emilymatters page to find out more about what we do.
If the suffragettes had been around today, they’d have been all over social media, so that is at the heart of our campaign. However, we also have the new #Emilymatters live interactive performance, talks, speeches and my Emily play To Freedom’s Cause, which is the reason for #Emilymatters.
If you believe equality matters that voting matters then we’d love to hear from you.
And make sure you book tickets to see the brilliant new film Suffragette, which will be in cinemas UK-wide from 12th October!
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Listening and valuing others’ contributions is very much a part of what we do. The quiet voices often have the most interesting things to say.
Now, get baking!
Kate Willoughby Actor & Writer of Emily Wilding Davison play To Freedom’s Cause
Full List of #DearEmily Events
3rd October #DearEmily was launched at Saturday’s Women & Politics event in Birmingham. Thanks to everyone who got involved including Hifzha and Nicola featured in our #DearEmily photo montage).
The event was a great success and we’ll continue to work with the Sikh Network to encourage women to ‘Step Up, Vote and Lead’. Historian, broadcaster and #Emilymatters supporter Matthew Ward covered the event via Twitter and Periscope (@HistoryNeedsYou), including footage of my speech, which is featured at the end of this post.
6th October Emily made several protests in UK Houses of Parliament, most notably when she took up residence there during the 1911 Census, to claim that right on behalf of all women and even today, only 29% of MPs are women. Parliamentary Archivist Mari Takayanagi.
9th October Kate will be at the Pankhurst Centre’s special screening of Suffragette in Manchester, which includes a post film discussion with Dr Helen Pankhurst (great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst) and Stella Duffy from the Women’s Equality Party.
11th October Team #Emilymatters will be holding our very first virtual suffragette tea party in honour of Emily Davison on her birthday. Emily lived life to the full and had a multitude of friends, so get your suffragette colours on (purple, white & green), because everyone’s invited!
11th October Team #Emilymatters has a new Twitter chat, which will focus on the legacy of the suffragettes, on the eve of UK wide release of the film Suffragette. Add your voice from 6.30pm BST. Add hashtag #VMDeeds to your responses.
It’s time to Step Up | Vote | Lead
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