The 100th anniversary today of the first women getting the right to vote in the UK has me thinking about sister @mspackyetti and how special it was to snap this pic with her in front of Pankhurst Centre — the birthplace of the Women’s Social and Political Union, AKA the militant suffragette movement. Militant meaning arson, chaining themselves to railings, disrupted public meetings, etc. Many were jailed for seeking justice. Sound familiar? And for us, two black women from America who have the spirits of our ancestors watching over us so we can be standing whole and free outside a place like Pankhurst, and so we can light our own torches and “burn” down whatever seeks to oppress and silence black women and girls...WELL. It’s a moment that I turn to when I need a reminder that my sisters are in this with me. And because the fight for full gender equality has not yet been won, Pankhurst, along with being the only museum dedicated to remembering suffragettes (and it receives NO government funding), still functions as a space that supports women. It’s home to Manchester Women’s Aid, an organization that that assists women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence. “Deeds, not words.” was the suffragette motto. Action. Justice. Amen. Ashe. #genderequality #manchester #mcr #pankhurst #pankhurstcentre #action #blackwomen #suffragettes #votingrights #women #womenempowerment #blackisbeautiful #blackisbeautiful #deedsnotwords (at Pankhurst Centre)
