TALKS | Black Women 100

The event will unearth the stories of incredible women of colour who fought for equality and the right to vote, shining a light on those whose contribution has too often gone overlooked. 

Including:

• The ‘Soul Sisters’ choir, led by Sing With Soul’s Dionne Draper, who has been commissioned by Bristol Women’s Voice to write and record a new song to mark the centenary year. 
• A brand new one-woman theatre piece by Jenny Davis exploring the lives and activism of two nurses; Mary Seacole and Princess Campbell. The work will bring together histories of suffrage, Windrush and the history of the NHS.  
• Four young artists from Rising Arts; Roseanna Dias, Euella Jackson, Anika Deb and Stacey Olika, will discuss their work.
• Bristol Radical History Group’s Silu Pascoe will discuss Black and Asian Women and the Suffrage Movements, uncovering the stories so often omitted from the history of suffrage in Britain and the US.
• A panel discussion led by African Voice Forum, bringing women together to talk about their relationship with suffrage, what it means to them and the contribution that Black women have made to the women’s rights movement in the UK.
• Breathing Fire, the UK’s only Black Women’s Playback Theatre company, will deliver a one-off interactive performance, expressing women’s comments about suffrage and the centenary year.
• The day will finish with a performance by Tan Teddy, Bristol’s Jamaican Folk band. The group advocates for Jamaican heritage by sharing art and culture to promote diversity in Bristol.

In the words of Sandra Gordon, Bristol Women’s Voice event organiser: ‘So many Black Women have led the way fighting inequality and injustice throughout their lives, without the acknowledgement and recognition of their invaluable contribution. I am proud to be working on a project that ensures that history is told, remembered and celebrated by all within our diverse city.’

This event is funded by the Government Equalities Office.