“When capital pays husbands they get two workers, not one”
Wages For Housework activists argued that unwaged workers in the home have the least power in a capitalist society. Demanding wages was the first step toward women refusing housework and rejecting social roles. More posters: bit.ly/3nie8t1
“A Say in the End of the World” is now open!
Come check out our newest exhibition in our Gallery — free and open to all.
ℹ️ www.lse.ac.uk/library/even...
In the 1950s, the London Society changed its name to the
Fawcett Society and the library became the Fawcett Library in memory of Millicent Garrett Fawcett. New premises were secured at 27 Wilfred Street, Westminster. Here’s Elisabeth Scott’s design for Fawcett House.
Despite all efforts, the Fawcett Society couldn't finance the Library and sought a new home for it. In 1977, it moved to the City of London Polytechnic in Old Castle Street, East London, under the care of Rita Pankhurst, chief librarian and daughter-in-law of Sylvia Pankhurst.
Following a successful Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the Library acquired a new home on Old Castle Street and a new name, The Women’s Library, in 2002. 📸 Paul E Smith. The Women's Library, E1. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY
A decade later, the library was yet again plagued with financial problems and, after a successful bid, it moved to
LSE in 2013. Everybody is welcome to use this incredible resource: lse.ac.uk/library/usin...
By the 1920s, the London Society had developed quite a collection of material. Vera transformed this small society library into a major research resource. The Library was housed at 35-37 Marsham Street, Westminster, a converted pub. This became Women’s Service House.
The Library attracted prominent feminists as members such as Virginia Woolf and Vera Brittain. During the 1930s, Woolf used the collection to do research for ‘Three Guineas’. She became a member of the London Society, gave talks, and donated many books to the Library.
The Women’s Library was officially opened as the Women’s Service Library in 1926 by the London and National Society for Women’s Service. Vera Douie was appointed as the first full-time librarian and stayed in post until 1967.
'Smash the Backlash' was a demonstration held in May 1987 which saw 3,500 people march through Haringey in North London to protest against racism and bigotry.
A thread for LGBT+ History Month 🧵
The march was one of the first UK demos to specifically highlight the experiences of the Black LGBT+ community.
It sought to mobilise support for lesbian and gay rights and called for solidarity with the struggles of other minoritised people.
Local community groups Haringey Black Action and Positive Images joined together to organise the protest, with support from Haringey Council's Lesbian and Gay Unit (a number of whose staff were also involved with the pioneering Black Lesbian and Gay Centre project).
The Labour council in Haringey had made a manifesto commitment to promote gay equality and set up the Lesbian and Gay Unit in 1986 – the first of its kind in the country.
Council leader Bernie Grant pledged "to give lesbians and gay men a voice like everyone else".
In a climate of homophobia and anti-AIDS prejudice, the Lesbian and Gay Unit aimed to address institutionalised discrimination against LGBT+ people.
Sub-groups were established to give emphasis to the most disadvantaged within the community.
Efforts to implement more inclusive polices, such as representing positive images of LGBT lives in education, were met with resistance from some conservative and religious groups in the Borough – a backlash experienced nationally by similarly progressive local authorities.
“Lesbianism and gayness is a positive expression of sexuality and lifestyle, not a perversion or illness.”
This press release was issued by Positive Images, to explain their grass-roots campaign to challenge heterosexism.
Following months of growing tensions, Haringey Black Action – a group which had been campaigning in Black communities about LGBT rights – began planning the ‘Smash the Backlash’ demo in conjunction with Positive Images.
Haringey Black Action spoke out against efforts to divide the Black community over sexuality and encouraged the involvement of other local organisers and groups in the protest, such as the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign.
The ‘Smash the Backlash’ protest is commemorated with a plaque and rainbow crossing in Haringey, placed along the route which the march took from Turnpike Lane to Bruce Castle Park. /🧵
3. Mary Kingsley was a traveler and explorer. Interestingly, in a speech she made on women's suffrage in 1897 she argued against women being given the vote in parliamentary elections.
