| Description | This collection consists of records kept by Georgie Wemyss and Nurjahan Julie Begum, who were two active members of Women Unite Against Racism. They include a textile banner, event and printed material, and posters.
CATALOGUE STATUS: This collection consists of two deposits which are currently uncatalogued, however lists are available as follows. Access is by appointment only, please contact staff.
Records kept by member Georgie Wemyss [Georgina Susan Wemyss].
Accession reference: TH/9754:
1. Women Unite Against Racism second banner - used at Trades Union Congress (TUC) March 1994. Textile [A digital copy is available. Please contact staff for access digitised version, TH_9754_1]:
2. Unison newspaper 25 March 1994 including photographic image of the banner
3. THAR newsletter March 1994 Issue 2, back page 'women vote' column
4. Women and Racism Booklet (prepared for photocopying)
5. Letter to members 5 November 1994 - listing names of women present at meeting (Clare Ramsaran was not in Elwar - that was a mistake)
6. Poster made to document Women Unite Against Racism (referred to in the letter above). Includes picture of first banner which was destroyed by police at the demo at Welling, Bexley in 1993
7. Record of first Women Unite Against Racism meeting by Clare Ramsaran
8. Pack of questions and answers sent by Women Unite Against Racism to candidates in 1994 local elections. (Faxes fading). Replies from:
- R. Jalal (Labour)
- I. Dale (Tory)
- S. Petter (Green)
- John Biggs (Labour)
- S. Alom (Labour)
- Jane Ludlow (Liberal Democrats)
- S. Clarke (Tory?)
- T. McNally (Liberal Democrats) and reply from Women Unite Against Racism
- O.vOsmand (Independent)
- L. ? (Tory)
- R. Klein (Green) - very faded
[access restrictions apply to personal data in the letters and questionnaires]
9. Help getting to Polling Station leaflet 9 November 1995
10. Report about 1st Women Unite Against Racism meeting (see 7.)
11. Official stamp
Records kept by member Nurjahan Julie Begum.
Accession reference: TH/9755:
1. Photocopies of protest photos [2 items/copies]
2. COF steering group members list
3. Women Unite Against Racism registration leaflet (English) [2 items/copies]
4. English/Somali/Bengali/Chinese leaflet for registration
5. Women Unite Against Racism conference programme
6. Fax of Women Unite Against Racism conference notes
7. Women Unite Against Racism questionnaire [2 items/copies]
8. Women Unite Against Racism bulletin October 1993, November 1993, February 1994, April 1994
Additional records received 03/05/2029: accession references: TH/9755/9-12 posters as follows. Digital copies are available to consult:
9. 'TUC Unite Against Racism. National demonstration'. March and Rally. Assemble Spitalfields Market, Commercial Street. Rally at London Fields off Mare Street, Hackney. 19 March 1994. Black and white poster. Two members of WUAR, Julie Begum and Molara Solanke spoke about women in the movement at this rally. With green sticker attached: Tower Hamlets Nine Defence Campaign 'Self Defence No Offence'.
10. Tower Hamlets Nine Defence Campaign 'Tower Hamlets 9 are innocent' picket poster. Thames Magistrates Court, Bow Road. 21 December [1993]. WUAR attended the picket - the Tower Hamlets Nine were a group of men wrongfully arrested for protesting against a racist attack on 17-year-old Quddus Ali. The rally was supported by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), THARC, THAR, Quddus Ali Family Campaign, Youth Connection and Newham Monitoring Group.
11. 'Save Our Schools! Help us defend our right to a decent education!' campaign poster against proposals of Tower Hamlets Liberal Councillors to remove hot school dinners and travel and clothing grants for older pupils and cut maintenance budgets in schools. Features photographic image of school pupils from St Matthias School by Phil Maxwell. Published jointly by NALGO (National and Local Government Officers' Association), NUPE (National Union of Public Employees), NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers) and GMB/APEX (GMB trade union / Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff). 1980s-1990s.
12. 'If a policeman lays a hand on you.....self defence is NO offence!' picket poster in pen. |
| AdminHistory | Women Unite Against Racism (WUAR) was formed in September 1993, and the group rose to shed light on the subject of sexism in the anti-racist movement. It was considered that one of the mainstream movements failings was that it did not provide a voice for a vulnerable sector in the community - black (Asian, African and Caribbean) women. The problem identified, which the group sought to address, was the fact that the anti-racism movement was predominantly white and male led.
Racism in East London was national news from September 1993 when the fascist British National Party (BNP) won a seat on Tower Hamlets Council. BNP councillor Derek Beackon was defeated six months later in the local elections of May 1994. The news which featured showed images and interview with community leaders, all of whom were male. Questions were raised 'But where were the women?' [Racism - what about Us? Pamphlet]. WUAR was active and contributed to the defeat of Beakon.
First Meeting:
On Tuesday 19th October approximately 150 women from of a variety of backgrounds and of all ages crammed into the conference room at Tower Hamlets College for a debate called 'Racism - what about us?'. The meeting was organised by a new group called WUAR, formed after the election of the BNP councillor Derek Beackon. They felt excluded from the anti-racist movement, feeling that it was dominated by men and boys. In subsequent meetings, the group developed strategies for becoming involved in anti-racist activities. Women came to together to make a banner that could be a focus for women on often hostile demonstrations. The first banner, bordered by a brightly coloured sari, was destroyed by riot police, forcing women to abandon it during the anti-racist march in Welling, Bexley in October 1993. A second banner [the one we have] was taken on later demos and gave fleeting visual reminders on news reports to women's activism, otherwise ignored by the media.
1994 Elections:
The most significant part of WUAR's work was immediately after the election of Beackon, when they started to campaign to make sure that no fascist would get elected in the forthcoming local elections in May 1994. WUAR believed that a significant number of women may not have been on the electoral register. It was also known that women had been intimidated from voting by BNP thugs.
WUAR printed 1000s of bilingual leaflets which informed women of hour to register. These were circulated widely, and women also went door to door, talking to women about the elections and the importance of voting. WUAR concentrated on the three wards in the north west of Tower Hamlets which did not receive as much media attention or anti-racist interest as the Millwall ward where Beackon and two other fascists were standing. |