Portsmouth’s inspirational women activists celebrated on International Women’s Day
Guildhall Square
8 March 2024
“The plaque celebrates the work of those involved in the project of “Women’s Activism in Portsmouth from 1960s: a Hidden History of a Naval Town”. And what the project sought to uncover was the varied work of women from diverse backgrounds, who lived in the Portsmouth area, and who contributed to the life of the city in some way.
The period of the 1960s onwards includes the time of the Women’s Liberation Movement, and many women felt empowered by the revival of feminism to speak up, to get out into society and to demand equality and change.”
“It is a great day to unveil the plaque, today, International Women’s Day, held on the 8 th of March every year. International Women’s Day was started over a hundred years ago in the 1910s at the second International Conference of Working Women, where it was proposed that each year, on the same day, women across the world should celebrate their achievements and also press for their demands.
Since then women have held rallies on International Women’s Day, starting in Europe and soon extending to America, Russia and elsewhere. It became a day of global activism and was recognised by the United Nations in 1975.”
“The women of Portsmouth have much to be proud of, through their efforts
they have made a huge difference to their city, inspiring inclusion in all works of life. For many the activism continues, in work with community kitchens, in environmental projects and in continued campaigning such as the WASPI group. There is still work to do, of course, both in the campaigning and in the record keeping of women’s work.”