DOZ Inspirational Biography
Emmeline Pankhurst
here was once a general belief that women
were inferior and should never be allowed to
participate in any decision-making process.
However, this belief was altered by a few women
who saw beyond gender, and today millions of
women are enjoying the freedom they created.
Emmeline Pankhurst is one of such women. She
was born as Emiline Goulden on 15th July 1858
in a Manchester suburb. She was the eldest of five
daughters in a family with a history of political
warriors.
From childhood, it was apparent she would grow
to be a woman with courage and
the ability to change the world
for good. She and her family were
involved in social activism to end
slavery in the United States. It
contributed to the liberty that
blacks are currently enjoying in
the United States.
Emmeline understood knowledge
is a vital requirement for
becoming someone great, so
she began reading at the age of
three. She was able to develop
an excellent understanding of
several things faster than people
imagined. As Emmeline grew,
she observed that only men were
permitted to make decisions
about who would rule over the
affairs of the state. She decided to
be a voice to the voiceless women
who never stood to fight for what
they desire. She began a movement concerning
women’s right to vote, which was faced with
several criticisms but became successful because
she never gave up on it. She was introduced to the
Women’s Suffrage Movement at the age of 14 and
never gave up the fight until victory was achieved.
She became a political activist with a strong
influence on the masses, especially women, during
her lifetime. Time recognized her in 1999 for
reshaping the idea of women and giving most
women a new belief and reason to stand beyond
DOZ Magazine | January 2020
their gender. It was said that “She shaped an idea of
women for our time; she shook society into a new
pattern from which there could be no going back.”
Emmeline later founded and became involved with
the Women’s Franchise League, which advocated
for both married and unmarried women. In 1903,
she founded a women’s political union that was
an all-women suffrage advocacy organization
dedicated to “deeds and not words.” Through this
organization, they were able to achieve several
things and also go through some severe suffering
because good things don’t come
without a price. They paid the
price of a prison sentence and
hunger strike, which was much
opposed by those in power.
Unlike several women who
fought for a change and
died without passing the
responsibility to anyone,
Emmeline began to groom
her daughter, Christabel, to
succeed her; thus, Christabel
became a part of the movement
for change while she was still
alive. Emmeline and Christabel
were responsible for calling
an immediate halt to militant
suffrage terrorism in support of
the British government’s stand
against the “German Peril”
during the first-word war.
After several notable achievements, Emmeline
departed this world on 14th June 1928, following
a deterioration in her health. But she is alive in the
memory of those who can now enjoy the liberty
she fought to achieve.
Injustices will continue until someone rises
to demand a change, and the justice attained
may come to an end unless we teach a younger
generation to carry on our legacy. Emmeline rose
to pave the way for other women. You can do the
same and teach your family to do it too.
10
T
Mercy James