![\"Emilymatters_80096b\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emilymatters_80096b-1024x170.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On Tuesday I attended an inspiring and insightful event organised by NAWO<\/b> <\/a>(National Alliance of Women’s Organisations), called \u2018Young Women, Media Representation & Europe\u2019.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To Read the 6 point Young Women\u2019s Manifesto for MEPs, please click here<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was great to be able to return to the House of Commons with Evgenia Makeeva<\/b>, who was the Event Manager for the \u2018To Freedom\u2019s Cause\u2019 #Emilymatters event<\/b><\/a> back in February.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Panelists Ikamara Larasi & Lia Latchford (Imkaan) talked about their ground breaking work on the Rewind & Reframe Music Video Campaign, which challenges sexism and racism in music videos. <\/p>\n Panel One:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Lucy-Anne Holmes<\/b>, No More Page 3<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n Isabel Chapman<\/b>, Peabody sponsored Oii My Size Campaign<\/b><\/a> Project leader.<\/p>\n Ikamara Larasi<\/b> & Lia Latchford, <\/b>Imkaan<\/b><\/a> music video campaign Reframe & Rewind<\/b>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/p>\n Panel Two:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Caroline Criado-Perez<\/b>, The Women\u2019s Room<\/b><\/a> founder & Jane Austen on Banknotes Campaign.<\/p>\n Paola Buonadonna<\/b>, British Influence<\/b><\/a> Media Director & Freelance Journalist.<\/p>\n Professor Ros Gill<\/b>, Professor of Cultural and Social Analysis at City University London.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/p>\n NAWO <\/b>is an umbrella organisation for over 100 organisations and individuals concerned with making equality between women and men a reality, so it\u2019s very much in keeping with #Emilymatters’<\/b> aim to support and promote all those working to achieve gender equality, including\u00a0Emily Thornberry MP\u2019s<\/b><\/a> campaign for a statue of suffragette Emily Davison to be erected in Parliament\u00a0and the No More Page 3 campaign<\/b>. Because Emily Davison campaigned for an equal society, not just the vote.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019ve had #Emilymatters<\/b> photos from across the UK and the globe. Tweet us<\/b><\/a> yours to add your support for gender equality and the Emily Davison statue campaign.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a clear and simple way of showing that what Emily Davison and the women\u2019s suffrage campaigned for is still highly relevant today. That a statue, with recognisable face(s) and\/or figure(s) from the movement would be a celebration of the achievements made as well a call to action \u2013 to finish the job Emily started!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Annette Lawson OBE, Josie (NAWO Youth Caucus) & Caroline Criado-Perez add their support for <\/p>\n There have been a number of recent developments regarding Parliament\u2019s artwork to represent women\u2019s suffrage, so it\u2019s even more important that people get behind the statue campaign.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/p>\n It was great to see so many young women in Parliament and what a contrast they made to the white male dominated artwork in the committee room. Each speaker brought their own personal reflections on why they began campaigning and what truly matters to them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The room fell silent when Caroline Criado-Perez spoke of the shocking social media backlash after her successful woman on a banknote campaign:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What these men fear is a woman\u2019s voice. When we speak together and when we speak so loud \u2026 <\/p>\n The overriding message that I took away from the evening was the importance of taking every opportunity to speak up and to support each other. It\u2019s vital that everyone who cares about a fairer, more inclusive society joins the collective call for positive change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A rising tide carries all boats.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n The success of the \u2018To Freedom\u2019s Cause\u2019 House of Commons event in February was very much down to the people in the room, who were specifically invited because they are making a difference in both the UK and overseas today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s also an incredibly exciting time to be a feminist. <\/p>\n NAWO panellist Ros Gill<\/strong> echoed the comments made by Dr Helen Pankhurst<\/strong> (during the debate in February) when she said she felt passionately that now was \u201ca fantastic time to be a young woman with a political space that is massive.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m mindful that each wave of feminism has brought a great deal of progress towards a more equal society. However, the successive waves have been followed by years of public indifference and inaction, so there\u2019s an urgency about seizing this moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Onwards and upwards! The future calls for more women in Parliament. <\/p>\n There is such a strong momentum in the UK right now, from Daughters of Eve<\/b><\/a> to 5050Parliament<\/b><\/a> and the newly formed Go Girls Wales<\/b><\/a>, who were also at the NAWO<\/strong> event, which makes it feel like anything is possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019re doing well but there\u2019s still a long way to go and as Caroline Criado-Perez<\/b> so powerfully portrayed, the vicious backlash towards a number of women who have spoken out in public has dissuaded others from speaking up. Emily Davison and other members of the women\u2019s suffrage movement also faced fierce hostility and often violence on a daily basis, because they dared to call into question the deep injustices they witnessed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We band of sisters! Speical #Emilymatters House of Commons event, which included a performance of Emily Davison play ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ & an insightful debate chaired by Jane Garvey (BBC Woman’s Hour presenter).<\/p><\/div>\n For more information about February’s special event, click here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The anti-suffragists threw everything they could (sometimes literally) at these \u2018horrid women\u2019 who were only asking for rights that most of us still tend to take for granted in the UK today, especially the right to vote. We could learn a lot from the women of Afghanistan<\/b><\/a> who turned out to vote, risking their lives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n NAWO<\/strong> Chair\u00a0Annette Lawson<\/b> reminded us that the deadline for registering to vote for the 2014 European elections<\/b> is 6th<\/sup> May<\/b>, with polling taking place on 22nd<\/sup> May<\/b>. Annette spoke of the importance of campaigning and that it\u2019s never too late to start.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019re all part of the future until the day we die. <\/p>\n Thank you again to NAWO<\/strong><\/a>, especially Rosie Fox<\/strong> (European Parliament Young Women’s Project Officer), the speakers and Stella Creasy MP<\/strong><\/a> for sponsoring the event.<\/p>\n Thanks also to everyone who added their support for #Emilymatters<\/b>. It would be great to get yours. To find out how you can get involved, click on the Get involved! photo below:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get involved! Join Emily Thornberry MP (Emily Davison Statue in Parliament Campaign founder), <\/p>\n #Emilymatters<\/strong>\u00a0was created by Kate Willoughby as part of the social media campaign to promote the historic House of Commons event in February 2014.<\/p>\n Since the event there has been a fantastic response to the social media photos of support, which make a powerful positive statement about gender equality issues today, whether it be the statue to commemorate Emily Davison and the women’s suffrage movement in Parliament or using your democratic right to vote, #Emilymatters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To Freedom’s Cause in rehearsal: Suffragette Mary Leigh faces an uncertain recovery at home, after being subjected to forced feeding in prison. Emily Davison (Kate Willoughby) & Mary Leigh (Kyra Williams). #Emilymatters \u2013 No Vote, No Voice<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong>There\u2019s also the new\u00a0To Freedom\u2019s Cause & Other #Emilymatters\u00a0paper.li<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0newsletter, which gives you a weekly update on all things related to the play, the Emily Davison statue campaign & gender equality.<\/p>\n We have come a long way since Emily Wilding Davison and her sister suffragettes first campaigned for women to have equal voting rights. However, there is still some way to go before we achieve true equality, so please lend your support to the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament campaign & other great causes, including\u00a0#Emilymatters<\/strong>\u00a0supporters\u00a0No More Page 3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a05050Parliament<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kate Willoughby <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emily Davison\u2019s legacy is for\u00a0life<\/em>, not just for 2013.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 On Tuesday I attended an inspiring and insightful event organised by NAWO (National Alliance of Women’s Organisations), called \u2018Young Women, Media Representation & Europe\u2019. To Read the 6 point Young Women\u2019s Manifesto for MEPs, please click here. It was great to be able to return to the House of Commons with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[53,66,1],"tags":[63,58,78,54,55,65,7,10],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1937"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2003,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937\/revisions\/2003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"YoungEU_AManisfestofortheEuropeanParliament_29Apr14_80\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_AManisfestofortheEuropeanParliament_29Apr14_80.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"YoungEU_IkamaraLarasi_LiaLatchford_29Apr14_80\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_IkamaraLarasi_LiaLatchford_29Apr14_80-1024x752.jpg\")
<\/a>
Photo: K Willoughby, 2014<\/p><\/div>\n![\"YoungEU_tweets_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_tweets_29Apr14.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"YoungEU_LA_Holmes_womenssport_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_LA_Holmes_womenssport_29Apr141.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"YoungEU_BritishInfluence_tweet_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_BritishInfluence_tweet_29Apr14.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"YoungEU_Annette_Caroline_Rosie_NAWO_HoC_29Apr14_1\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_Annette_Caroline_Rosie_NAWO_HoC_29Apr14_1-1024x449.jpg\")
<\/a>
gender equality and the Emily Davison statue in Parliament campaign.
Photos: K Willoughby, 2014<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Evgenia_youngEU_Emilymatters_tweet_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/Evgenia_youngEU_Emilymatters_tweet_29Apr14.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"YoungEU_AWomansPlace_photo_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_AWomansPlace_photo_29Apr14.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\nthey know their game is up.
\n– Caroline Criado-Perez <\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\n
\n– Ros Gill <\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"YoungEU_Emilymatters_Matterstomen_tweet_29Apr14\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/YoungEU_Emilymatters_Matterstomen_tweet_29Apr14.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"St](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/St-Stephens-plastic-sheet-statue_looking_1_80_LOGO.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>
Photo: E Makeeva, 2014<\/p><\/div>\n![\"HoC](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/HoC-photostream_debate_General_ML_EWD_Feb2014_J-1024x289.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"EWD](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/EWD-infographic-1-mk3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n– Annette Lawson, OBE<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"Emilymatters](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emilymatters-series_EmilyThornberry_KateS_LucyAnneH_WOWFest_KateS_Mar14_J1-1024x257.jpg\")
<\/a>
Kate Smurthwaite, Lucy-Anne Holmes (No More Page 3 founder), Anisa & Shanaz at this year’s WOW Festival & actress Kate Skinner in Sidney, Australia.<\/p><\/div>\n![\"FF](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/FF-Recovery_tofreedomscause_2014.jpg\")
<\/a>
Photo: Brian Astbury, 2014<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong>Actor & Writer of Emily Wilding Davison play To Freedom\u2019s Cause<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Votesforwomenstrap\"](\"http:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/Votesforwomenstrap.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Twitter\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/icons\/twitter.png\")
<\/a>![\"LinkedIn\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.katewilloughby.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/icons\/linkedin.png\")
<\/a><\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"