Keeping the issue of voting alive and in the minds of politicians was an important tactic of the English suffragettes in 1909. It wasn’t one action that did the trick, but the constant reminders, in unexpected places, at unexpected times. Lucy Burns was an American, who with Alice Paul, was radicalized in the English front lines of suffrage. One evening she dressed in an elegant gown, socialized with the dignitaries at a fancy-dress ball, and then approached Winston Churchill. After waving a banner in his face, she asked: “How can you dine here while women are starving in prison?”
The police removed her from the building, and Churchill got the message.
5 Responses
I find lots of gems in your stories.
Here’s a guy’s two cents. Go Lucy!
Go, Lucy. I love these little vignettes.
If we did it once, we can do it again. I mean, transform the political arena.
This sure points out the inegnuity of women, who were outside the political system to come up with ways to make their point. They didn’t have the vote. Many didn’t have a way to support themselves outside their homes and families. They ached for an open door that would lead them into participating in the political process, and they were prepared to take action they never would have considered before.