Royal Holloway Feminism Society stand in solidarity with The Women's Library

'all the oppressed of this earth

whose dynamism and strength is stolen

for exploitation by others

and who fly when they break their chains'

The Women's Library is currently under threat, we urge feminists to rise up against this attack on women's cultural heritage: women have been hidden from history for too long. The Library provides a unique source of inspiration for women– charting decades of rebellious feminists, campaigning on issues from the vote to wages for housework. Women’s history is already marginalised, despite documenting over half the populations history. It deserves to be protected.

One of Royal Holloway's most famous students was Emily Wilding Davison, who died as a martyr to the suffrage cause attempting to display her votes for women banner on the king’s horse. Her return ticket for that day is still in the Women’s Library collection. Each of the 70,000 items holds a story. Her funeral was the only occasion Royal Holloway students were allowed at a London Suffrage outing. The Women’s Library links all our history.

In ‘A Room of one’s own’ Virginia Woolf wrote that, “Women have sat indoors all these millions of years, so that by this time the very walls are permeated by their creative force, which has, indeed, so overcharged the capacity of bricks and mortar that it must needs harness itself to pens and brushes and business and politics.” The women’s library has created a space to encourage women’s genius, and equally record it, reclaiming the anonymous women of the past. It is a space for not only for privileged women but also the marginalised; all ethnicities, all classes, all sexualities – it is an inclusive home for everyone, enabling equal access to the exploration of identity and a sense of history. This provocation comes as part of a wider attack on women's services and represents the governments complete disregard of women, threatening to render its rich resources inaccessible. Such a reduction of service will decrease widening participation that London Met strives towards. The Library functions as not only an academic source but one that is part of local community in a largely deprived area; it acts as a cultural hub.

Royal Holloway and New Bedford College, was created in 1985 when Bedford College joined with Royal Holloway College to form a new institution within the University of London. There was once Suffrage Library, run by staff and students at Bedford, and Royal Holloway was given suffrage material to potentially start our own, the library no longer exists and the collection has been eroded. Royal Holloway Feminism Society stands in solidarity with the Women's Library in its time of threat. We believe the history of our rebellious feminist forbearers must be protected. We urge you to consider our message.

Royal Holloway Feminism Society

www.savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk
Save The Women's Library Petition
Send an email to Malcolm Gillies the London Met vice chancellor

RHUL FemSoc Testimony: The Women’s Library; A Room of One's Own

By Vicky Iglikowski

When I’m feeling in need of inspiration, I set upon a journey across the District line and through the hustle of Spitalfields market to the serene sanctuary of The Women’s Library. It provides a Room of One’s Own; a space for feminist thought, academic research and a vast array of creative events.

In less than a year’s time the opening hours will be reduced from five days a week to one, unless a sponsor is found. This is an unrelenting attack on women and an area of history finally gaining strength. The previous housing of The Women’s Library has already been precarious. In its preceding guise as The Fawcett Library the contents were contained in a range of dubious places, from a pub converted into a Women’s Services House in the early 20s which suffered bomb damage, to a 25 year duration in a London Metropolitan University basement which periodically suffered flooding.


For such an important record of women’s history this is not good enough. The library encompasses a free museum with rotating exhibitions and an archive; it is the only institution of its type in England. As a resource for the history of half the population, this community service deserves to be fully government funded.

As a previous student I have used the library countless times, for academic work and personal interest, and as an archivist volunteer I have firsthand experience of how dedicated the staff truly are. The library attracts 30,000 people a year; condensing the 410 weekly visitors to a signal day would be an impossible feat, and will categorically deny people access to these records. The lists of books and archival papers are vast; collectively reaching 70,000 items. The private papers of many women who are deemed ‘important’ are stored here, as well as UNESCO supported items, with world heritage status within the suffrage collections. More interesting perhaps are the archives of many unknown women –collections of early LGBT records, disability campaigners, women from every variation of ethnic backgrounds, and every area of the political spectrum. Society minutes reveal the details of not just the leaders of movements but their average members too. The archives provide historical identities for people so often excluded from official historical discourse. The collection of zines epitomises their unorthodox approach to history, documenting women's everyday lives and explorations of self.

Academically this offers a huge resource, and whatever happens to The Women’s Library it will leave a legacy of research, much of which would not have been possible without it. The context of these cuts to services is the wider issues of London Met, having faced mass course closures as a university that is fighting to provide education to students, consisting of a larger BME student body than the entire Russell group. Fighting these closures is about fundamental access to education and its resources. However the importance of this is more than educational and greater than historical justice. The significance in its rectifying of histories patriarchal narrative lies in the present. Having a tangible history is hugely important to a sense of identity and belonging. This is what The Women’s Library has enabled for its female users; a sanctuary, a place to be accepted, and an institution that recognises the importance of women in history, and their importance right now. The library’s increasing community work allows women from economically deprived backgrounds and ethnic minorities to have an ownership over their history.

To first discover the wealth of inspiring women from the past is to be immersed in a world that is rarely acknowledged, of strong passionate women who fought for their rights and the rights of others. This campaign needs to gain momentum, it is about far more than academics; it is about accessing sources of inspiration and our right to explore our identity. It is hard to overestimate the importance of physical spaces to meet and share ideas. It is empowering. The movement for women’s history largely derived from ‘second wave’ feminism. Those fighting for academic recognition were also fighting for front line services, 24 hour childcare, refuge centres and reproductive rights; it is an intrinsically feminist issue.

We must let ourselves be inspired by our forebears to continue the fight.

Please sign the petition that was launched to Save The Women's Library

Why “casual” misogyny shuts women out of Student Unions

  by Megan Down

We've all seen, and been disgusted by, the “lad”-style banter bandied around on websites such as UniLad, and for the most part, these have been universal condemned. But something much more subtle, much more insidious, and potentially just as dangerous is happening in our Student Unions.

Jokes which demean and disempower women, lewd and inappropriate remarks and in some cases blatant sexual harassment are all too often being left completely unchallenged in Student Unions. Let's be clear – this “casual” sexism isn't casual at all – it is insipid, it makes anyone other than cis males feel uncomfortable about actively participating in Student Union activities, and it stifles important voices for change. A woman's place is in her Union, and she deserves not to have to feel demeaned in any way because of her gender, however “light hearted” that demeaning comment or action was (or was intended to be).

Anyone who dares to stand up against this culture of accepted sexism is immediately beaten down as not being able to take a joke, or as taking out a personal vendetta against someone who was just making an “innocent” joke. Even if that joke, that lewd remark, that action, was “innocent” in the sense that it wasn't intended to cause harm, it is always right to challenge it. The only way we will make our Student Unions safe spaces where everyone can participate is to challenge all instances of this kind of behaviour. We must empower ourselves in every way we can to stand up against behaviour which perpetuates a misogynistic environment, and applaud those who do.

Solidarity with Women students in Wales

The following open letter was recently circulated by a feminist student activist in Wales. 

Open Letter to NUS Wales Women's Officer and Aberystwyth Guild of Students

I am a member of NUS UK Women's committee, a dedicated student activist and feminist and a member of my students' union.

Reports have circulated depicting Ben Meakin, President (who is planning to re-stand) of Aber Guild at Superteams, holding a pint and having fake fellatio performed by a female student while standing on a staircase in front of a room of people.

To my knowledge Aber have a Zero Tolerance policy. They've also recently passed, to much celebration, a new policy giving their students part-time liberation officers. This behaviour from a sabbatical officer and a member of the WNEC in the context of these policies, combined with the attitude of the Guild's elections committee, leads me to believe that the Guild is doing and excellent job of paying lip service to liberation and not much at all to protect women students.

I am also concerned that there has been no comment as yet from the NUS Wales Women's officer Stephanie Lloyd, who in her bid to become NUS Wales President, has been supported by Ben Meakin. Considering that the NUS Wales Women's Campaign has a responsibility to women students in Wales to directly oppose this kind of behaviour from students and officers, the fact that it's making the rounds so quickly and has yet to receive comment from the foremost student feminist in Wales is appalling.

The right of students to run in sabbatical elections does not trump the rights of women students to be treated like human beings, and not sexual objects. The right of students to know exactly what kind of person they are electing- including people who behave unprofessionally and as misogynists while President of their Guild- absolutely trumps any notions of upholding a semblance of electoral neutrality. There has been no apology, no disciplinary action, and no comment on the political and social ramifications for the status of women in Aber Guild that will result from the Guild President freely acting out his opinions on women in society.

This is not an issue on which NUS Wales or Aber Guild have any right to be neutral or passive. They must stand up against this kind of behaviour and set the example and the standard for rooting it out when and where it happens. Quite frankly as a woman student and as an activist who has spent countless hours through my degree working on the Women's Campaign to see this pass by under the guise of "elections fairness" tells me that NUS Wales and Aber Guild both prioritise elections over women's basic right to be treated as human.

I expect the Women's Officer to reject Ben Meakin's support publicly, to make a statement on the behaviour depicted in the photograph that is circulating, and Aber Guild to do its duty to its women students and disqualify Ben Meakin from re-standing for Guild President. I also expect him to publicly apologise for his role in the situation depicted in those pictures.

Students from Aber wishing to discuss this matter and oppose this behaviour as a matter of political principal should not be threatened with being banned from student elections. It is obvious who has the interests of women students in Aber at heart; clearly not the President, the elections committee, or NUS Wales Women's Officer. This situation absolutely cannot continue. I will not stand for it and neither will women students in Wales

Royal Holloway Feminism Society were inspired by an individual student standing up against the "casual misogyny that seems to permeate many Student Unions. We would like to extend our solidarity to those campaigning against sexual harassment and discrimination, and would like to send the following message of support to Jennifer Krase for taking a stand against what is going on.

Hi Jennifer

Several members of Royal Holloway Feminism Society read your open letter to the NUS Wales Women's Officer and Aberystwyth Guild of Students which was shared around on facebook, and the topic came up for discussion at our meeting tonight.

We would like to congratulate you on taking a firm stand against sexist behaviour in Student Unions. We appreciate both the importance and the difficulties of standing up against sexist behaviour by elected officers of Student Unions, and would like to extend are support and solidarity to you in your campaign to get the behaviour of Ben Meakin rightly condemned as completely inappropriate for an elected official of a Student Union, when SUs should strive to be safe spaces for every student. The women of Aberystwyth have the right to know full and frank details of this event, as well as hear it rightly condemned by those in positions of power, in order to be able to make a fair decision about who they want to vote for to be their President. It is disgusting that any attempt to cover up this, or any other sexist behaviour by elected officers of any Student Union, should be made.

We wish you the best of luck in your campaign.

In solidarity,

Royal Holloway Feminism Society

Edit: Since we published this, it has been brought to our attention that Ben Meakin has resigned as a member of the NUS Wales National Executive Committee and that the NUS Wales Women's Officer has rejected his support for her standing as NUS Wales President.