Determined Young Women

Museum revelations

In the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral there is a fascinating museum, where a visitor can explore all kinds of exhibits from Neolithic burial sites to a representation of the town sewage works. Tucked away in a corner, displayed within a glass case, is a small, beautifully embroidered cape in the purple and silver colours of the early suffrage movement. It is unfinished, with a caption explaining that it once belonged to Millicent Fawcett, who lived in Salisbury for a while. It is probably too small for Millicent herself to have worn but perhaps it was intended as a gift for a child – a mini-Suffragist perhaps.

Whatever its actual history, it triggers a poignant reminder of how young Millicent herself was when she became committed to the cause of women’s suffrage. By the age of 19, for example, she was collecting signatures to support a petition to parliament that she was actually too young to sign herself.

Museums are wonderful for revealing fascinating and unexpected nuggets of information and tucked away in another corner of Salisbury Museum is a tribute to Dorothy Lawrence, an aspiring journalist. In 1915, when she was in her 20s, her application to be a war correspondent was rejected, so she disguised herself as a soldier and managed to get to the front line at the Somme. Her story ends miserably – she was arrested and interrogated as a spy and her work was heavily censored. However, in 1919, her book ‘Sapper Dorothy Lawrence: The only English Woman Soldier’ was published. But after she was hospitalised with neurological problems she wasn’t taken seriously, spending the last 40 years of her life in Coney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, where she died in 1964, without, apparently ever receiving any visitors.

And as a last word about the joys of museums, do, please, if you have never visited the Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh, Northumberland, add it to your list immediately.

Grace received much unwanted adoration from the media and the public after rowing with her father for a mile in a violently stormy weather to rescue survivors from a shipwreck. But when you visit this tiny museum and see the evidence of the effort, strength and determination of this young woman, you realise quite viscerally what a remarkable achievement it was. Grace Darling died from tuberculosis 4 years later at the age of 26.

Lifelong commitment

Women who become well known for one particular achievement often start pursuing their interests at an early age. Rosa Parks, for example, who was born in 1913, became a household name in 1955 when, aged 42 she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, igniting new momentum into the American Civil Rights movement. What is less well known is that she had been fighting discrimination since she was in her teens. In 1932 she worked to raise funds for the defence of the Scotsboro Boys, 9 young black men accused of rape who were facing the death penalty. She was also involved with other organisations such as the Voter League which concentrated on increasing registration for black voters.

In a wholly different context, Jane Goodall, born in 1934, began her Primatology research in the late 1950s when the field was completely male dominated. World renowned for her work with chimpanzees, she developed what were criticised as controversial methods such as naming, rather than numbering animals. Dedicated to conservation and animal welfare she established the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots and Shoots Project for young people, both of which have branches worldwide. Last year when she celebrated her 90th birthday, she was still travelling and urging people to take environmental action.

The youth of today, and yesterday, and the day before.....

Young people in every generation can expect to find disapproval and condemnation from their elders. Aristotle is alleged to have said: ‘They think they know everything and are always quite sure about it.’ And in 1790 the Reverend Enos Hitchcock (whoever he was!) was very exercised, even then, about the media: ‘The free access which many young people have to romances, novels, and plays has poisoned the mind and corrupted the morals……’

Today, the generalisations continue as Millennials and Generation Z now come under the stern gaze of whingeing elders even though the world is full of determined young women who are unfazed by disapproval and who are making a difference.

Taking risks

We immediately recognise the names of some of the young women who have taken risks and made a stand for equality and justice. Mahsa Amini was arrested in Iran for failing to cover her hair, and died in police custody, sparking mass protests. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the face for advocating girls’ education in Pakistan. Greta Thunberg has been mocked and vilified in her campaign to raise public awareness about climate change. Other young women have risked a backlash by speaking openly about their ordeals as victims of rape or male violence, with the #MeToo movement revealing the scale of sexual and gender-based assault. We should remind ourselves too that protests in authoritarian and misogynistic states regularly result in lengthy jail sentences for brave women whose names we may never know.

May celebrations

We are coming to the end of May and you may have missed some of the traditional May activities, or even some of the more bizarre ones like the Gloucester Cheese Rolling event or World Parrot Day. However, as May has long been celebrated as a month of joy and optimism, let’s look back briefly here and enjoy the achievements of a few young women in very different spheres.

• Awards have recently been presented to Roya Rasouli, a fashion designer who creates clothes for women with chronic health problems like endometriosis, and Asia Akhtar who won a Women in Science award for groundbreaking research in genetics and commitment to gender equality. 
• Leanne Lucas who was a victim in the horrific Southport attacks of last year, and who led children to safety, has partnered with the Let’s be Blunt Campaign, calling for people to use blunted knives instead of pointed ones.
• And in sport, women’s cricket is thriving, and the delirious celebrations following Arsenal Women’s defeat of Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League Final will not be forgotten.

You will undoubtedly have your own examples of persistent and resilient women alongside the few mentioned here. Locally, nationally, and internationally, young women will continue to make a difference, and we should honour and celebrate their commitment. 

May Update on the MK Fawcett Campaign for a Safer, Healthier, Fairer Milton Keynes

• We have begun an update of background papers with baseline evidence of the need for making MK Safer, Healthier and Fairer, ready to disseminate in the Autumn.
• We have now met for a second time with Emily Darlington, Callum Anderson and Chris Curtis, our MK MPs.
• We have now met three representatives from party groups on MKCC and discussed our campaign with them. They are Cllr Lauren Townsend (Deputy Leader of MKCC and of the Labour group); Cllr Jane Carr (Leader of the Liberal Democrat group); Cllr Shazna Muzammil (Leader of the Conservative group). 
• A couple of our members have taken part in a consultation on a draft of the Council’s new Domestic Abuse Strategy, following on from a recent contribution to MKCC’s Housing Policy. 
• In conjunction with the OU’s Centre for Protection of Women Online we have contributed to Ofcom’s consultation on their draft guidance for tech companies, ‘A Safer Online for Women and Girls.’ 
• We have met with the Deputy Head of Communications and Engagement at MK Hospital for an update on the new build Women and Children’s ward.
• We are monitoring and collecting further evidence to support our campaign. 
• We will continue to promote the manifesto campaign and encourage people to become more involved with the political process.
• We are co-organising the Annual Orange The World and White Ribbon Vigil at Milton Keynes Rose on 25th November. At this year's Vigil we want to decorate the pillars with craftwork pieces made by local people. Interested? Find out more here. 

We will include an update in every blog. Thank you for supporting us in our campaigns for gender.  equality and women’s rights.