AmyLavernia

If you live in the areas of London, Belfast, Cardiff or Edinburgh you may have noticed some blocked roads and a parade of Purple, White and Green on Sunday. This was the Processions event celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the women gaining the right to vote.

The Procession was a time to celebrate the progression of the modern woman and remember the price of the privileges we have today. This price includes famous death of Emily Davison, who has been named the martyr of the suffragette movement, after an attempt to attach a banner to King George V’s horse, lead to her death in 1913. Another face of the suffragette movement is Manchester own, Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union, and was named in Time’s 100 Important People of the 20th Century. She has now become a key aspect of Manchester’s identity, as can be seen in her memorabilia in the newly opened Manchester Shop at Afflecks Palace.

“I would rather be a rebel than a slave” – Emmeline Pankhurst

Being a young woman at university, I live with the weight of the generalised assumption that the younger generations don’t vote – As can be seen in Manchester’s lowest turn out, at the predominately student based area of Fallowfield being an embarrassing 17% (source) Many students, including women, simply believe there is no point. Although we are lucky to be at a point where the difference between the turn-out for men and women in the UK is none-existent, it pains me to know that there are still many women, especially my age, who don’t vote. Being at the London Procession reminded me of the costs to have a voice in democracy, and made me proud to be an active voter in commemoration of those who fought for my right to.

The Procession acted as both a celebration of liberation, and a harsh reminder of the battle women have, and still fight. Our right to vote is a privilege some take for granted, especially as, in many countries still, a woman’s vote isn’t an easy walk to the polling station; graziadaily  exclaim that it is still hard for a woman to vote in countries such as Saudi Arabia (who only made it legal for women to vote in 2015), Kenya, Uganda, Oman and Egypt.

“In the 2016 elections (in Uganda), violence against women at the voting polls was so concerning that a control centre was set up to monitor it. It received 600 complaints from women’s rights groups who claimed it only further discouraged women from voting, causing delays in queues that forced women to go home to return to domestic duties” – graziadaily.co.uk

The battle for women’s liberation is one we fight everyday, and this Procession was a beautiful way to display the tribulations woman-hood has faced to be where we are today. It was a great experience to be able to stand within a crowd of proud women and supporting men. Despite getting there after a five hour journey from Manchester, One hours sleep and the weather being beyond hot and sweaty, (being quite fitting as our own allegory for the journey of women in history, making the celebration even more poignant) it was an amazing and touching experience.