east end women's museum
THE EAST END WOMEN’S MUSEUM SEEKS TO RECORD, RESEARCH, SHARE AND CELEBRATE THE
STORIES OF EAST LONDON WOMEN PAST AND PRESENT. IT IS CURRENTLY THE ONLY
DEDICATED WOMEN’S MUSEUM IN ENGLAND. Rachel Crossley, Museum Director,
presenting at a symposium (c) Debbie Sears It is currently a ‘pop-up’ museum,
through: temporary exhibitions, online and touring around East London workshops
for schools and community groups events, talks and stalls at festivals
researching, writing and publishing women’s stories online learning activities
partnerships with local community and cultural organisations We are delighted
that we have been offered a permanent home in a new building in Barking. We are
now working towards opening the site in the next year. WHY IS THE EAST END
WOMEN’S MUSEUM SO VITAL? The Museum exists because for far too long women have
been confined to the margins of history. For instance: Just 2.7% of UK public
statues feature historical women who weren't royalty (source). There is just one
statue of a named black woman in the entire country (source). Just 13% of
English Heritage blue plaques in London honour women (source). According to an
English Heritage survey, 40% of people thought that women had less of an impact
on history than men (source). “ The East End Women’s Museum is part of the
solution, and a matter of representation. We want to rebalance the history
books, and put women back in the picture. East London women’s lives are full of
amazing stories; stories of pride, of creativity, of humour, resilience,
resourcefulness and resistance – from the Bow Matchwomen’s Strike to the Battle
of Cable Street, the Ford Dagenham machinists’ walkout to the Bengali families
squatting to improve housing in Spitalfields. We have footballers, inventors,
carers, pilots, generals, pirates and more. We believe these lives can be
inspirational to women and girls today. We believe every woman, past and
present, should have a voice. We believe these stories deserve, and need, to be
told. Find out more about the aims and values that drive us. GOVERNANCE
STRUCTURE East End Women’s Museum started out as a Community Interest Company
(CIC), registered in November 2016. After a period of development and
fundraising, we decided to register as a charity so we could raise the funds we
need to open the museum, a natural and necessary next step for us. In late 2019
several of the directors of the East End Women’s Museum CIC became trustees of a
new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). After creating a new
constitution, in March 2020 the new East End Women’s Museum CIO was admitted
onto the register of charities overseen by the Charity Commission. The CIC and
the CIO are separate organisations, but have the same name and are working
toward similar goals. At the moment the two organisations run alongside one
another, but over the coming months the original CIC will wind down its
activities, and the charity will take on responsibility for delivering all of
East End Women’s Museum programmes and activities.
