We are now at the halfway point of the Speaking Out project. Co-ordinator Sarah Browne reflects on what we’ve achieved so far.
It’s almost been one year since I started working on the Speaking Out project. When I started in December 2015 the project had no name, no leaflets, no volunteers, and, apart from what had already been collected and deposited at Glasgow Women’s Library, there was no accessible archive. Looking at what has happened during the past year it’s clear that things have moved forward very, very quickly.
We have now collected 44 interviews, the exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh is proving to be extremely popular, the project film is being watched and discussed, the archivists are well on the way to cataloguing the archive (an enormous task in itself), and we are continuing to work with a group of dedicated, enthusiastic and committed volunteers who have really made this project happen.
And what have I learned? When I started working on this project I had a good idea of the early history of Women’s Aid in Scotland through previous research on Women’s Liberation. I was already inspired and a little in awe of the amazing things women had done in the 1970s to ensure that women, children and young people had somewhere safe to go to when experiencing abuse and in campaigning to end violence against women. And these feelings have only strengthened since learning even more about the history of Women’s Aid in Scotland through the material collected for the Speaking Out project. Listening to the many stories and voices of people connected to Women’s Aid in Scotland throughout its history has confirmed to me what a pioneering, innovative and essential movement it is.
In the past year I have visited many local Women’s Aid groups, talked to women who were involved in Women’s Aid in the past, spoken to women who have used the services at Women’s Aid, I’ve attended Women’s Aid conferences and events, and poured over archival material, and all of these things have demonstrated to me the determination and dedication of women who have been involved in the Women’s Aid movement.
Reading minutes from house meetings of Women’s Aid collectives from the 1970s where discussions moved from the refuge’s ‘needs’: ‘light bulbs, toilet brush, sink plugs’ (1978) to political discussions where women agreed Women’s Aid ‘was a place to feel safe’. Watching the amazing interviews, filmed by Speaking Out volunteers, and seeing just how much it has meant to women to have been involved in the Women’s Aid movement and describing it as: ‘it was just wonderful. It really showed the solidarity of women and the power that we have. The things that we can change’ (Anne Morrison). And listening to women in offices, living rooms, and kitchens throughout Scotland who have often reflected during oral history interviews that we’ve come a long way but that, as always, there’s still so much more to do.
2016 has been the 40th anniversary year of Scottish Women’s Aid; a good time to reflect on what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. The Speaking Out project is contributing to that process, a process that has always been at the heart of everything Women’s Aid has done, where women determined to create change have discussed the past and planned for the future. Women who have shared their experiences as part of this project have truly demonstrated that when women speak out, stand together and help one another, things can change.
Thank you to everyone who has been involved so far.
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