#Emilymatters – Parliament event – Reflections on a Piece of History in the Making

 

A special Parliamentary performance and debate around the life of Emily Wilding Davison

and the impact of her legacy on feminism today.

On Thursday 13^th February 2014, an historic event took place in the House of Commons when
‘To Freedom’s Cause‘, my play about suffragette Emily Davison was performed to a packed audience as part of a special event in support of Emily Thornberry MP‘s Emily Davison Statue in Parliament Campaign, in the Jubilee Room.

There is a virtual treasure trove of material, so more content will be uploaded over the coming days and weeks.

 

For my blog thanking everyone involved, with more pictures and quotes, please click here.

 

 

Highly intelligent, fearless and passionate, Emily Davison loved good conversation, drama and debate. This special event in honour of her statue campaign, aimed to encapsulate something of those qualities.

 

“Emily Wilding Davison was a great campaigning feminist. Her struggle continues and she remains an icon for women even over a century after her death.”
Emily Thornberry MP, founder of the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament Campaign

 

In a packed Jubilee Room, the invited audience played a crucial role in the success of the evening, which included a fresh retelling of Emily’s life as a campaigner, a call to action and a lively debate, followed by refreshments and the opportunity to mix with a roomful of inspirational people.

 

 

It is incredibly rare for a play to be performed in the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament, where Emily Davison made three of her most inventive protests. Without the support of Emily Thornberry MP and her team this special event would never  have taken place.

 

 

And because Emily Davison used the modern media forms of her day, we used some of ours, taking the #Emilymatters debate onto social media.

 

 

Material from the event will be posted to this website soon, including clips from the debate and a podcast of audience interviews by Rachel Cochrane from listenupnorth.com.

 

 

The Parliamentary Performance

The event began with a performance of ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ by Kate Willoughby. Directed by Brian Astbury, the simple staging enabled the audience to focus on the people and story.

 

 

 

To Freedom’s Cause sets out to explore Emily Davison’s life as an extraordinary woman and campaigner for equality. Emily was without doubt a remarkable woman, rather than an untouchable saint.

She sometimes made mistakes, as we all do, but she never lost her determination to fight injustice and continued to campaign for equality in the face of State sanctioned brutality.

 

“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

 

A Call to Action! 

Following the performance, Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Attorney General & founder of the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament campaign, made a strong case for a statue of Emily Wilding Davison to be erected there. A summary of her speech will be posted to this website shortly.

Out of 100 non royal statues in the Houses of Parliament, only 6 are of women. Please add your support to the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament campaign, by signing the petition. 

 

 

The Debate  –  ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ the campaign for Equality – Still worth fighting for?

Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter, then chaired a lively and informative debate, with panelists:

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)

Chi Onwurah MP – Shadow Cabinet Office Minister & Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central

Dr Helen Pankhurst – Great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst

 

 

A whole range of issues were explored, from Chi Onwurah MP’s highlighting of the preponderance of 18th Century men adorning the walls of Westminster, to Helen Pankhurst’s optimism for the opportunities open to young feminists today. For a more detailed account, please click here, to read “To Freedom’s Cause” tells us why #Emilymatters by Charlie Tarrant.

The evening proved to be a great success and this was due in no small part to the people in the room as well as everyone who took part in the #Emilymatters debate via social media.

 

Please do continue to support the Emily Davison Statue in Parliament campaign. 

The best way that you can help at this time is to continue to spread the word about the campaign and related gender inequality issues using #Emilymatters and encourage others to sign the petition.

As the campaign is far from over, To Freedom’s Cause will continue to add its support with a newsletter on related media articles and blogs, so that you can keep up to date on #Emilymatters via our Twitter account @2FCPlay.

 

 

As the campaign is far from over, To Freedom’s Cause will continue to add its support with a newsletter on related media articles and blogs, so that you can keep up to date on #Emilymatters via our Twitter account @2FCPlay.

The best way that you can help at this time is to continue to spread the word about the campaign and related gender inequality issues using #Emilymatters. 

 

 

Although we passed our target of 1,000 signatures, it’s important to keep sharing the link and encouraging others to sign, to demonstrate the genuine Public interest in a statue of Emily Davison being erected in Parliament.

Please sign & keep spreading the word!

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. Sign the petition in support of the campaign calling for a statue of Emily to be erected in Parliament:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/51269

 

As the campaign is far from over, To Freedom’s Cause will continue to add its support with a newsletter on related media articles and blogs, so that you can keep up to date on #Emilymatters via our Twitter account @2FCPlay.

You can also keep up to date with developments about the work of Kate Willoughby Productions, including the ongoing legacy of this play, by joining our mailing list or follow @katewilloughby8.

 

Kate Willoughby
Actor & Writer of To Freedom’s Cause

 

 

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