The Suffragettes of Bow - LSE Womens Walk

 Growing up in East London and waking around in Bow seemed so normal in our that are lives filled with rights and freedoms. We didn't think about the struggles women had to go through as they fought for what we believe to be basic rights on the streets we so freely roam. I definitely did not think about how privileged I actually am in compared to so many strong women such as Emmeline Pankhurst. These women fought to ensure that women could be treated with equity and so that we would be valued in society. Their dedication and bravery that helped women gain the vote was just the beginning of the movement for women to have better life chances and rights as well as freedoms that we otherwise would not have had without the work of so many influential women.

The Suffragettes would often use the Bromley Pubic Hall as a meeting place to discuss the campaigns and plan ways in which the position of women could be furthered in society.

We visited the Bromley Public Hall (along with 'Nairat') where the Suffragettes would often meet.

The Hall allowed the Suffragettes to group and share ideas for the feminist movement, with actions that were considered to be too loud and unruly, they were soon kicked out. This shows just one of the many struggles women had to face in East London as well as other parts of the world in order to be treated with more respect. They were pushed around and undermined whilst preparing for a world where women would no longer have to keep quiet but would be able to speak up and their voices would be heard and acknowledged.  Getting kicked out of the Bromley Public Hall was not the only trouble the Suffragettes went through as they were constantly getting in trouble with the police due to their methods of direct action. This resulted in many trips to the Bow Metropolitan Police Station, which was where they were often taken before they were sent to Holloway Prison.

To read our blog post on Holloway Prison click this link.

Although the Suffragettes and the feminist movement did face a lot of opposition, there were still many people supporting the cause and hoping for women to receive the rights and freedoms they deserved. Among these supporters was George Lansbury, an MP elected in 1911. He was a strong supporter of women's rights and had the campaign support of Sylvia Pankhurst. After resigning to further his action on women's rights, Lansbury worked hard to ensure many less advantaged groups and groups that were not treated with respect would be treated more fairly. A memorial besides Central Foundation Girls' School was made in his honor.

George Lansbury Memorial

We felt it was amazing that the memorial for such a great advocate for women's rights was built right next to our Sixth Form and the school which encourages young women to work hard and fulfil their dreams without letting people limit our success due to our gender or even our race or age.

The Women's Suffrage Movement that worked through the 1840s to the 1850s had a great influence on the introduction of the Women's vote in the early twentieth century, as women such as the Suffragettes and George Lansbury left behind their ideas and inspiring actions to ensure the women of today had the chances that we do. The role of women in the UK especially, has been advanced greatly as we had our first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and after David Cameron's resignation, it seems our next Prime Minister shall be Theresa May, representing just how far women have come since the 19th century.