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This is the TRUE meaning of International Women's Day International Women's Day has been taken over by the capitalists, making it more like Mother's Day than its original concept.

Discover the real meaning of International Women's Day on my latest Substack. It has nothing to do with wellness workshops, craft markets or even celebrating women.

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/this-is-th...

Milly Witkop: forgotten hero of women's reproductive justice #OTD in 1877 Milly Witkop was born. Trade unionist, anarchist and feminist trailblazer, she was advocating for reproductive justice decades before Gloria Steinham put on a pair of aviator glasses

Decades before the Women's Liberation Movement began their fight for reproductive justice, a poor Jewish woman in London's East End was advocating for women's right to bodily autonomy. Yet virtually nobody has ever heard of this trailblazer.

To excite young people about history we need less kings and queens and more everyday people As the numbers taking History GCSE continues to decline, it's time to rethink how we can make history feel relevant and interesting to young people again.

A recent trip to 1066 country left me thinking a lot about how we teach history in schools, and how the stories of ordinary people are often so much more relatable than Kings & Queens.
My thoughts on my latest Substack.

Our WW2 narratives have silenced all stories of German resistance, except one. On this day in 1943, Sophie Scholl of the White Rose movement was executed for spreading anti-Nazi propaganda. But she wasn't the only German who resisted.

#otd in 1943, Sophie Scholl from the White Rose movement was executed for spreading anti-Nazi propaganda.

Before her death she said: "Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?"

Women’s Writing Circle with Share UK Join us for a writing workshop during Women's History Month,

We're delighted to be working with The London Archives to run one of our women's writing circles for Women's History Month. Join us to explore stories from the archives related to fabulous London women, then free write, journal or use creative writing techniques to go deeper with the history.

From 17th century rape victims to the Epstein files - when will men start believing women? The release of the Epstein files shows we've made little progress in believing female sexual abuse victims since Artemisia Gentileschi's rape trial in the 17th century.

I didn't mean for this week's Substack post to come out quite so gloomy. But with the release of the Epstein files - during Sexual Violence Awareness Week no less - that has been the overwhelming mood.

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/from-17th-...

Vengeance of the Vagina Head In the late 1940s, women in Nigeria gathered to resist an unfair tax, where they took the idea of the protest song to a whole new level

I heard the story of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti over Christmas and fell in love. She forced British colonial rulers to back down with the power of the sisterhood. If you thought Riot Women was a powerful representation of older women, wait til you hear this.

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/vengeance-...

Kitchen Resistance extract: Free school meals pioneer To celebrate International Day of Education, I'm sharing an abridged extract from my forthcoming book, Kitchen Resistance, about the free school meals pioneer, Margaret McMillan.

To celebrate International Day of Education, I'm sharing an abridged extract from my forthcoming book, Kitchen Resistance, about the free school meals pioneer, Margaret McMillan. #internationaldayofeducation

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/kitchen-re...

The year of the anniversary There are a number of big anniversaries this year, with commemorative events across the country.

There are so many anniversaries this year, some of them really important. Check out my latest Substack post for a round up, including events taking place to mark them.

open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Wet nurses at the Foundling Hospital were known for their compassion, upholding the highest levels of child welfare. So why does the boy on the right look like he's about to cry? Find out the story behind the photo with my talk @voicesofmotherhood.bsky.social on 5th Feb.

bit.ly/voicesofmoth...

Excited to launch our new pilot project - The Writers Corner - a peer support community for under-represented writers. Join us if you want more time and space to write, get feedback on your work or to develop your craft.

Book here: shareuk.eventbrite.com

New Year's Honours - REJECTED Tressa Burke, CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance, made headlines this week for turning down an MBE. She follows a strong tradition of those who have rejected the royal award.

This week disability chief, Tressa Burke, rejected a King's Honour. My latest Substack looks at the history of rejecting the royal award as a political act. From anti-colonalism, to protesting the appeasement of Trump, these small protests can make a big impact.

open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Happy Christmas all you history lovers! We'll see you all for more stories, past and present, in 2026!

❤️

Jane Fonda: The politics behind the pelvic tilt #OTD in 1937, Jane Fonda was born. You probably think you know her story, yet most only know a small part of it.

Do you know the full story of Jane Fonda and her activism, and how it links to her exercise videos?

Honouring this great woman, who yesterday turned 88 years old.

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/jane-fonda...

My best books of 2025 The best historical fiction and non-fiction of 2025 ... according to me!

BEST BOOKS OF 2025

Book lovers! Gift ideas or entertainment for yourself this Christmas. With every purchase, Bookshop donate to independent booksellers, and we get a commission to support our work in promoting women's history. Win-win-win!

open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Kitchen Resistance: how women used food to fight back – Esther Freeman I’d been in the Women’s Library at LSE for hours, going through oral history transcripts in the Women Against Pit Closures collection. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I felt close to tears. The…

Is this the Revolt of the Housewives in 1795 or something else? It's our current research area. I wrote this piece for the Women's History Network you might like. share.google/8GQHU7TYgpqy...

The History of Food as an Act of Resistance A guest post by London Historians Member Esther Freeman Over the past year, with a grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, I’ve been researching how women have used food for social justice. …

My piece for London Historians on our latest project - Kitchen Resistance - is out now. Exploring how different waves of migrants to the capital have used food to provide a sense of safety and community during even the most challenging times.

londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/t...

We shouldn't forget how AIDS destroyed a generation of artists It's World AIDS Day - an important time to remember all the art and culture we lost because of this devastating virus.

Today is World AIDS Day. I'm thinking about when Noel Gallagher said he hoped Blur "catch AIDS and die". The whole story is covered by @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social
in her brilliant book, Uncommon People. I give my hot-take on it all on my Substack. estherfreeman.substack.com/p/we-shouldn...

Adelaide Knight: the disability activist who wasn't My second post for Disability History Month explores how political identities for disabled people have changed radically over the past 150 years. And not always for the better.

My second post for #disabilityhistorymonth looks at Adelaide Knight - the disability activist who wasn't.

Despite her life long health and mobility issues, Adelaide never identified politically as disabled. Discover why in my latest Substack.

open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Alternative obituary: Marina Lewycka, author and activist Last weekend Marina Lewycka, author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian died. Obituaries in the mainstream media focus on her writing, but she was also a brilliant feminist activist.

V. sad to hear the news that author, Marina Lewycka died. I loved her books, but was sad none of her obituaries mentioned her activism. Because that is how I know Marina best, interviewing her in 2019 about her role in feminist group, Big Flame. Here's my alternative obituary for her.

Elizabeth Burgwin: the first Special Educational Needs Coordinator As part of Disability History Month, I'm shining a spotlight on Elizabeth Burgwin, who we could call the first Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

Disability History Month is here!

Elizabeth Burgwin was possibly the world's first SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator). She pioneered work with disabled children so they could reach their full potential.

Warning! She is a complicated woman!

estherfreeman.substack.com/p/elizabeth-...

How women become middle class paupers Women seem to be more vulnerable than men to becoming downwardly mobile. This has been the case throughout history.

It was easy for middle class Victorian women to struggle financially. Despite the welfare state, and better career opportunities, unpaid care work stills make women vulnerable.
Read my Substack to discover middle class paupers, Sylvia Pankhurst, Margaret McMillan & Lydia Becker... and me!

Kitchen Resistance: how women used food to fight back – Esther Freeman I’d been in the Women’s Library at LSE for hours, going through oral history transcripts in the Women Against Pit Closures collection. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I felt close to tears. The…

New on the blog! Esther Freeman from @share-uk.bsky.social explores the different ways women have used food throughout history, and how we can reframe it as a powerful political tool #womenshistory

womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resi...

Why we need to keep talking about witch trials It's Halloween, which means its my annual rant about the persecution of women as witches. And some of it is more recent than you'd think.

Happy Halloween! 🧙‍♀️👻💀 🎃

I enjoy Halloween, but do still need to talk about the persecution of witches. It's far more recent than you'd think.

See my Substack for the Hayfield Witch, how to right past wrongs, and if Elon Musk is the new Witchfinder General?

open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

The toddler climate activists Time is running out to stop the devastating impacts of climate change. Is the next generation our last remaining hope?

Rachel @curiouswilds.bsky.social transformed a derelict piece of land, turning it into a forest school. By educating the next generation, she is quietly saving the planet one mud kitchen at a time.

Read about Rachel and her toddler climate activists: estherfreeman.substack.com/p/the-toddle...

Under-represented writers group Share UK, a local arts and heritage non-profit, is designing a new group for writers who are under-represented in the publishing industry. A supportive community that aims to provide unpublished wri...

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Under-represented writers group Share UK, a local arts and heritage non-profit, is designing a new group for writers who are under-represented in the publishing industry. A supportive community that aims to provide unpublished wri...

Gah! Sorry, this is the correct link: sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...

@societyofauthors.bsky.social We're creating a new community for under-represented writers. Could you share our survey so we can understand what's helpful to them? There's book vouchers to win for those who complete the survey.

sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...

@thelitconsultancy.bsky.social We're creating a new community for under-represented writers. Could you share our survey so we can understand what's helpful to them? There's book vouchers to win for those who complete the survey.

sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...

@actorsandwriters.bsky.social We're creating a new community for under-represented writers. Could you share our survey so we can understand what's helpful to them? There's book vouchers to win for those who complete the survey.

sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...