The word is just getting around about how hot suffrage centennials can be. A great example is the aftermath of the 2013 suffrage centennial honoring English suffragette and martyr Emily Davison. The 2013 centennial of her dramatic death received considerable attention. And the observance isn’t over yet, now that’s there’s a wider audience. Suffrage centennials honor the past, and they are opportunities to weave in the present day and a vision for the future. On February 13, 2014 at 6 p.m. in the Jubilee Room, Houses of Parliament in London, the play “To Freedom’s Cause” will be performed, along with a debate about the influence of Davison’s legacy on feminism today.
Supporters will be invited to sign a petition to erect a statue in Parliament and the debate will be opened on Twitter, using the hashtag #Emilymatters.
“To Freedom’s Cause,” was premiered in 2013 at the time of the Davison centennial. For more information, check with play creator Kate Willoughby who calls herself “a temporary suffragette,” and someone who has fallen in love with Emily Davison’s story. The play lays out the powerful tale of the people who came into contact with Emily, those who changed her life and whose lives she changed. Music and song are important elements. The suffragettes were known for their singing. It helped to keep their spirits up during the long spells of imprisonment.
Notes Kate Willoughby: “Emily’s final, iconic act involved the King’s jockey, Herbert Jones. A celebrated sportsman at the peak of his career, Herbert’s life would decades afterwards end in tragedy. However, Herbert’s later life has often been misrepresented and so in “To Freedom’s Cuase’ I seek to redress this.
“Over the years there has been a great deal of speculation about Emily’s motivation for stopping Anmer, the King’s horse: Was it suicide? Was it naïve? Or was it just an accident? ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ offers some insight into the exact truth of the situation.
“Working on ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ has been a labour of love and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me develop this fresh retelling of Emily Wilding Davison’s story. A fun-loving, vivacious woman, whose courage, in the face of adversity, can inspire us all.”