To mark this year’s International Women’s Day on 8th March Creative Spaces Co. and Skywriters Ltd have created a screen display at the Museum of Liverpool to highlight the role women have played in Liverpool.
Resistance: A brief history of Liverpool told through the activism of 10 women, received over 50 nominations from the public, spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. After careful consideration here is our list of 10 women who have helped shape Liverpool and beyond.
Painting by George Frederic Watts, 1894
Josephine Butler
Josephine was a nineteenth century feminist who campaigned for women’s suffrage, age of consent laws and against child exploitation.
Image taken from the BBC’s 1995 Documentary series, Heart of the Matter
Petrona Lashley
Petrona was a community activist elected as Councillor for Granby Ward in L8. She was Deputy Lord Mayor and would have become Liverpool’s first black Lord Mayor in 1994, but her nomination was blocked as result of institutional racism and misogyny.
Photograph, Liverpool Echo 2012
Anne Williams
Anne was a campaigner for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, in which 97 Liverpool football fans were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield including her 15-year-old son Kevin Williams.
Photograph, Liverpool Echo 2012
Sheila Coleman
A leading member of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Trade Union activist. Sheila campaigned for justice to be brought to the victims and survivors of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Photograph, Liverpool Echo 2019
Claire Dove
Claire was a pioneering member of Liverpool Black sisters and led the Blackburne House Group, one of the country’s leading education centres for women – for 35 years. Through her work she has empowered thousands of women through education and training.
Photograph, Liverpool Echo 2012
Dr. Gee Walker
Following the racist murder of her son Anthony Walker in 2005 Gee established a foundation to support victims and survivors of hate crime as well as working to build safer, stronger, thriving places to live.
Photograph, Pride in Liverpool Twitter, 2018 [Lucy centre, holding award]
Lucy Day
Volunteer and Chair of the Liverpool Pride Board from 2014-2018, Lucy played a key role in organising the march and event campaigning for LGBT+ equality in Liverpool and beyond.
Photograph, An Hour for Others website [Gill Watkins left]
Gill Watkins
Following a serious car accident and surviving an abusive relationship, Gill used her lived experience to co-found the charity An Hour For Others, which works to build better communities and inspire positive change across Liverpool.
Photograph TUC North West Twitter, 2021
Janet Bennett
Janet was an educator and active Trade Union activist. She was a ubiquitous presence at rallies, marches, and protests for progressive causes, instantly recognisable due to her red bandana and badges.
Photograph for The Post by Dani Cole, 2022
Caroline Grant
Director of Policy and Development at Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service, Caroline has supported thousands of victims and survivors and campaigns for an end to male violence against women and children.
The display by Creative Spaces Co. and Skywriters Ltd. seeks to inspire women and girls to make a change in their communities, places of education and workplaces by telling the stories of activists who have campaigned to enact change across the city and beyond.
Natalie Denny is the force behind Skywriters, a creative education initiative. Her roles include writer, activist, tutor, and content lead for Anthony Walker Foundation. Natalie is currently represented by Chloe Seager at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency.
Natalie is chair of The Period Project Merseyside, a voluntary led initiative providing women and people who have periods with menstrual items and campaigning to #EndPeriodPoverty and co-founder of The Goddess Projects, an organisation with the mission to empower, inspire and assist Black women and women of colour to develop and achieve in their communities.
Natalie said, “This display is a fantastic opportunity to highlight, celebrate and honour some of the amazing grassroots women activists and projects in our city for IWD2022.”
Rachael O’Byrne is the founder of Creative Spaces Co. which works to build stronger communities, improve people’s health, and create more active citizens.
Rachael is a feminist activist who has helped organise Liverpool’s Reclaim the Night March campaigning for an end to violence against women. And is also a volunteer at Walton Vale Community Shop, working to tackle food poverty and economic inequality.
Rachael added “Liverpool has a rich social and political history, with women activists leading the way in some of the most important political moments of the last few centuries that has radically changed Liverpool and beyond. We wanted to share their stories of resistance and in doing so help inspire the next generation of resisters.”
The project artwork has been created by Rosa Kusabbi, a printmaker and animator based in Liverpool. Named by the Association of Illustrators as one of the top 10 graduates to watch, Rosa’s work is centred around female empowerment and social issues. Rosa describes her work as a mix of contemporary illustration with influences from vintage music and protest posters all tied together with a rebellious punky spirit.
The display will be on the screens of The Museum of Liverpool’s atrium from International Women’s Day (Tuesday, 8th March) to Sunday, 13th March.
To keep up to date with the work of Creative Spaces Co. follow them on twitter and Facebook and Skywriters Ltd on twitter and Facebook