Alice Hawkins – Working Class Suffragette provided a detailed and inspiring account into the life of a remarkable woman who helped to change the course of history through her work.
The story of the “Sister for Freedom,” narrated by her great-grandson, informed the audience of how Alice, who grew up in absolute poverty, played a key role in the Suffragette movement after becoming appalled by the injustices she experienced while working in the shoemaking industry in Leicester.
Alice was a working-class woman who joined the Suffragette movement in 1907 after she realised, as a result of earning half the pay of the men who were doing the same job, that she could not meet her goals in life without the female vote. Alice’s great-grandson informed the audience that this was her “political driving force.”
The extraordinary story was told with elements of theatre, with another of Alice’s descendants reenacting some of Alice’s speeches and writings. Alongside this, the audience were shown Suffragette memorabilia which had belonged to Alice, providing a deeper insight into Alice’s experience in the fight for female suffrage.
The pride that Alice’s family members had for Alice and her work was evident to the audience throughout the show. They explained how Alice had been arrested five times in the name of female suffrage, with Alice’s great-grandson adding that “if Alice wasn’t a suffragette when she went into prison, she was when she came out.”
To close the show, the narrator triumphantly revealed to the audience that Alice’s Suffragette memorabilia had been exhibited in the Houses of Parliament in 2018. However, ironically, he added that this was the first place where Alice had been arrested, demonstrating the progress that Alice and her fellow Suffragettes had helped to achieve.
Alice Hawkins – Working-Class Suffragette preserved the almost forgotten story of an ordinary working-class woman who led an extraordinary life. The story reminded the audience of the importance of the female vote and the struggles women faced in achieving it. In Alice’s own words, “You must use your vote; we suffered for it.”
Alice Hawkins — Working Class Suffragette is running until 21 August at The Vault at Paradise in The Vault. Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Alice Hawkins Descendants for press use.
