Town parade will celebrate 100 years of votes for Island women

Town parade will celebrate 100 years of votes for Island women

The Parade for Women is due to take place on 13 July and has been inspired by the marches that took place in the UK last summer to mark its own centenary of votes for women. Jersey, however, did not introduce its own franchise bill until a year after England.

It is hoped the Jersey parade, organised by the campaign group Women in Politics with support from the States Greffe, will act as a further catalyst for engagement and change.

An exhibition looking at the history of votes for women in Jersey and the involvement of women in local politics generally is also due to open on 9 July at the Old Magistrate’s Court. It is scheduled to run daily until 20 July and will include interactive displays and artefacts from the past 100 years.

Earlier this month, the States Greffe appealed to people related to or who knew any of the signatories to two 1924 petitions calling for equal civil rights for women and for women to be allowed to stand for election.

They hope to use the information to bring the signatures to life as part of the display. Copies of The Evening Post’s reports on the States debate on the Franchise Bill in 1919 and following the 1948 election, when the Island’s first female politician Ivy Forster was returned, will also be on show.

Catherine Kirby, joint chairwoman of the Women in Politics Committee, said the parade was a way to celebrate the anniversary and also make a statement that there were still inequalities that needed addressing in Jersey
today.

‘With fantastic support from the States Greffe, everything is in place amongst other events to celebrate this important centenary,’ she said.

‘I feel so fortunate to have the choice to vote and it is incomprehensible to me why more people don’t exercise this right. Men and women have been imprisoned and died in their struggle for the vote and still today far too many people have no voice in the government of their countries.

‘I hope the parade on Saturday 13 July will inspire everyone, whether they can come along or not, to find out more about the Suffragettes and realise how important their vote is. There are still many inequalities that need addressing, but by joining together change can happen.’

She added: ‘Hopefully the parade might even encourage some more women candidates to stand for election to the States of Jersey.’

The parade – on the same day that the Fête de St Helier opens – is due to start in Seale Street at 2pm and finish around 20 minutes later in the Royal Square, where the guest speakers will include Education Minister Tracey Vallois, who made history last year when she became the first woman to top the Senatorial poll, Charlotte Valeur, who chairs the national Institute of Directors and regularly speaks about gender imbalance in work and in society, and Lucy Layton from Jersey Heritage. There will also be performances from local choirs and, organisers say, some surprises along the way.

To register for the free event, search for ‘Parade to Celebrate 100 Years of Votes for Women in Jersey’ on Facebook or on eventbrite.com. Those taking part are encouraged to wave banners and placards if they wish.

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