In the week that her statue will be unveiled, another move to ensure that Emmeline Pankhurst’s legacy lives on beyond this celebratory centenary year.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester’s office is to send a copy of the award-winning Emmeline Pankhurst documentary, ‘The Making of a Militant’ to all secondary schools across Greater Manchester.
is hoped the hard-hitting documentary will inspire the next generation of young people,particularly young girls and women, to make their voices heard louder than ever before.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We’re still marching here in Greater Manchester and the fight for true gender equality is still going strong. I want girls and young women living and growing up here to feel that this place belongs to them, and that their voices are heard here louder than ever, especially in the heart of politics and policy making.
“It’s only right that Emmeline’s legacy lives on beyond this centenary year, especially in her home city region. She was a fearless working mum from Moss Side who fought for her rights, demanded she be listened to, and forced change to happen. She was a true inspiration and always will be.
“Greater Manchester is no stranger to leading change, and people power will always drive forward our future. We’re funding this DVD because we want our young people to understand why it’s so important to stand up, to vote, and to push for change you believe in.”
Produced for the BBC, and presented by Sally Lindsay, the documentary takes a rare look at the fearsome, fearless Emmeline Pankhurst who fought so hard for women’s right to vote.
With the help of Emmeline’s surviving relatives, including her great-granddaughter Dr Helen Pankhurst, Sally delves deep into the archive to reveal Emmeline’s roots in radical Victorian Manchester: a city brimming with political activists where women set up the first meetings and societies demanding the vote, years before the Suffragettes.
Sally Lindsay said: “It’s been an honour and a privilege to discover and to celebrate this extraordinary woman. Emmeline is a Mancunian and global heroine, but I think she’s more than that, she is in the ink of the cross of every vote a woman has made in this country. I would like everyone to know her story better and realise just how powerful suffrage is.”
