March4Women: David Tennant, Annie Lennox and Helen Pankhurst join forces for feminist rally ahead of International Women’s Day
The annual march will be replaced by a rally for the first time
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Your support makes all the difference.David Tennant, Annie Lennox and Helen Pankhurst are coming together for an annual gender equality event ahead of International Women’s Day.
On Sunday 3 March, celebrities and women’s rights advocates will attend the #March4Women rally in London to celebrate modern-day campaigners who have worked to change the law to improve life for women and girls in the UK.
The rally, organised by the social justice organisation CARE International UK, will mark 100 years since the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act which allowed women to become barristers, solicitors, jurors and magistrates.
BBC Radio 4’s Jane Garvey is scheduled to host a panel discussion featuring activists including anti-upskirting campaigner Gina Martin, Shaista Gohir OBE from Muslim Women’s Network and anti-FGM campaigner Leyla Hussein.
“I’m delighted to be able to support March4Women this year,” said Garvey. “So much has been achieved but there are still many battles to fight.”
The event will also see women share stories of female survivors of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace.
For the first time since its inception in 2012, #March4Women will take place indoors, with the traditional marching format being replaced by a rally at Central Hall Westminster opposite the Palace of Westminster.
The Hall was used in 1914 as a meeting place for members of the British Suffragette movement.
President of the UK's Supreme Court, Lady Brenda Hale, will also attend the rally, along with Mexican labour rights activist Marcelina Bautista, award-winning singer Beverley Knight, musical group Urban Voices Collective and the Bond string quartet.
Speaking about the rally, Lady Hale said: “It takes courage to stand up to bullies. Even in an advanced liberal democracy such as ours, there are still battles to be fought, and we must still have the moral courage to fight them.
“But just as Millicent Fawcett pronounced: ‘courage calls to courage everywhere’, we must not forget that there are many other women in the world who are far worse placed than we are and we must reach out to and support them too.”
The rally will be led by by women’s rights activist and international campaigner, Dr Helen Pankhurst, who is the great-granddaughter of British Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.
“This year, I’m excited that we’ll be raising our voices and calling for change in Central Hall Westminster – a big, beautiful venue used by the Suffragettes in 1914,” Pankhurst said of the decision to host the rally indoors.
The event comes days before International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March.
#March4Women will take place from 2.15pm on Sunday 3 March. Tickets are available from the Care International website here.
There is also an option for complimentary tickets for those whom entry cost might be a barrier.
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