Over the past month Amnesty has worked with newspaper groups and major websites to scour the country for women who embody the continuing suffragette spirit
On seeing the map, Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, who founded the Suffragette movement said:
“As we celebrate International Women’s Day, there is no better time to launch this map and push these incredible women into the spotlight to be praised and recognised for their work.”
Today (8 March) Amnesty International UK launches its Suffragette Spirit Map of Britain to celebrate the incredible work being carried out by women in their communities 100 years on from first winning the vote.
Autism campaigner Anna Kennedy OBE is one of those women featured in the Suffragette Spirit Video and Map of Britain. Anna works tirelessly to help people with autism. In her wide portfolio of work she has set up a two specialist schools, a vocational college , a residential home and campaigned for better diagnosis of the condition as well and helped tackle autism-related bullying in schools with her charity campaign Give us a Break!.
The huge number of nominations and the enormous range of issues being tackled by these often unsung heroes is unprecedented. Women around the country are setting up support groups to aid refugees, tackling the issues surrounding domestic abuse through theatre, setting up initiatives to tackle bullying in schools, establishing charities to tackle period and clothing poverty, standing up for pensioners’ rights, campaigning for better facilities for disabled people.
The Suffragette Spirit Map of Britain can be viewed at www.amnesty.org.uk/suffragettespirit
