Sylvia Pankhurst (1882-1960) was a member of a famed British suffragette family known for their militant civil disobedience. She saw the fight for suffrage as universal, and became an important figure in opposing fascism and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
Sylvia Pankhurst (1882-1960) was a member of a famed British suffragette family known for their militant civil disobedience. She saw the fight for suffrage as universal, and became an important figure in opposing fascism and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
Women’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts are often overlooked, but no more. This month on Womanica we're highlighting women who have spearheaded peacekeeping initiatives all over the world — from India to South Africa to the United States. We cover women like Doria Shafik who led Egypt’s female liberation movement, as well as Coretta Scott King who was a fierce advocate for equality for Black Americans and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Tune in to hear the stories of women who were integral to creating peace in their communities.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Meltem Burak. I’m the host and producer of the podcast, Sesta. We aim to harness the power of arts and culture to foster conversation and build peace in Cyprus. I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting Peacebuilders: In times of conflict, these women have stepped in, bringing their creativity and insight to help facilitate peace across the globe.
Today’s peacebuilder was a member of a famed British suffragette family known for their militant civil disobedience. A self-proclaimed pacifist, she saw the fight for suffrage as universal, and became an important figure in opposing fascism and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
Let’s talk about Sylvia Pankhurst.
Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst was born May 5th, 1882 in Manchester, England. If her name sounds familiar, that’s because she comes from a family of social activists. Her father, Dr. Richard Pankhurst was a lawyer and legal reformer, and her mother Emmeline, founded the Women’s Social & Political Union, a militant suffragette group. We’ve told the stories of both Emmeline and Sylvia’s older sister Cristobel Pankhurst in previous episodes of Womanica.
As you might imagine, the Pankhurst household was full of political discourse. Sylvia’s father drafted the first Women’s Suffrage Bill in 1869. And he held many political meetings in the family home, encouraging his wife’s advocacy efforts. He died in 1898, and Slyvia was devastated. She followed his socialist ideals for the rest of her life.
However, Sylvia’s first passion was not politics, it was art. She was a talented painter and designer and attended the Royal College of Art for several years. But she was torn between pursuing a career in art and the calls from her mother to fight for women’s suffrage. Emmeline’s persuasiveness was too strong and Sylvia eventually decided to use her skills to design signs for the WSPU.
By 1906 she was working for the union full time. Like many suffragettes, Sylvia participated in activist campaigns, and she was arrested 15 times.
As World War I broke out, the union shifted its focus from suffrage to supporting the war and conscription. Sylvia was a pacifist and actually campaigned against the war. Her socialist views were also at odds with her mother’s politics. Sylvia saw the fight for suffrage as a broader effort that also included the class struggle. All of this created a rift between the family and Sylvia was eventually ousted from the WSPU.
Sylvia continued to fight for equality. She and the East London Federation of Suffragettes set up mother-and-baby clinics in London, a toy factory to provide employment, and restaurants to feed those that struggled with the rising cost of food.
Sylvia’s politics drifted further left as she rallied against capitalism. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, she took a trip to see the country – and she became a Communist supporter. She even met with Vladimir Lenin on a few occasions.
By the 1930s, fascist regimes were on the rise throughout Europe. Sylvia shifted her politics again – she began focusing on anti-fascism and anti-colonialism efforts. She also helped Jewish refugees from Germany, and supported the republicans in Spain. She openly criticized Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the left-wing paper she published.
In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia. Sylvia would remain dedicated to advocating for Ethiopia for the rest of her life. Sylvia started a weekly newspaper the New Times and Ethiopia News, which became the main English news source for Ethiopian news. Sylvia wrote the weekly editorial as well as articles about Mussolini and Hitler’s rise to power. Slyvia’s activism put her on a list of people to be arrested if the Nazi’s were able to occupy Britain.
Sylvia also raised funds and became a supporter of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. Throughout the war, she took in exiled Ethiopians at her home in the U.K. After years of battle, Ethiopian troops, with help from Great Britain, finally drove out the Italian army in 1941. Three years later Sylvia made her first visit to the country.
Over time, Sylvia and Emperor Selassie’s friendship grew and he invited her to move to Ethiopia full time. In 1956, she and her son Richard left England for Ethiopia. Sylvia would spend the final years of her life there.
Sylvia passed away on September 27, 1960 at the age of 78 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Because of her tireless support for Ethiopian independence, Sylvia was honored by Emperor Haile Selassie with a full state funeral. She was named an ‘honorary Ethiopian,' and is the only foreign-born person to have been buried in the city’s Trinity Cathedral.
Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan, for having me as a guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!