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-...

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-...

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...

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

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! ❤️

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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-...

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!

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...

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...

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...

@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...

@plutopress.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...

@versobooks.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...

@sevenstories.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...

@katebod.bsky.social Hi! 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. Tx sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...

@thefictiondesk.com 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...

@uncertainstories.com 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...

@arvonfoundation.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...

We're creating a group for under-represented writers. To ensure we're delivering what writers need, we'd like them to co-design it. Take 5 mins to complete our questionnaire and shape this new community of creatives. **Plus win some book vouchers** sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z...

This photo is of a women’s suffrage march in Washington in 1913. The woman at the front is Ida B Wells. White suffragists had told the black activists to march at the back. Ida wasn’t having any of it, and snuck into the front. Her face says it all really. Read the full story on my Substack.

I absolutely LOVED this podcast series. It's a great dive into the history of youth culture and radical movements. And it raises some interesting questions about counter cultures today (hence the title!). Available on BBC Sounds. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Today is the UN's International Day of Peace. Five days ago they declared a genocide in Gaza. Instead of talking about that, I'm sharing a story from over 90 years ago, about Labour MP, Ellen Wilkinson's fight against fascism in Germany. The echos with today are startling.

Could you support our work to keep women's history alive? I've a store on @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social It's an ethical alternative to Amazon. With every purchase, some money goes to independent bookshops. Buy from my list, some and money comes to us. Shop now: uk.bookshop.org/shop/estherf...

@journeytojustice.bsky.social I thought you might be interested in this post I wrote on a more contemporary fight for social justice. Please do give it a share if you think your followers might be interested. open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

#OTD in 2022 Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police. Protests erupted across the country. Brutally put down, it seemed like they'd made things worse. But recently developments suggest the women had more impact than first realised. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

@cancerresearchuk.org If you are interested in sharing a little alternative content, I thought you might like my post about Jane Todd Crawford - the first women to undergo surgery for ovarian cancer. I'm trying to get her story more recognition. Please do share. Thank you. bsky.app/profile/shar...

@carvehername.bsky.social I don't know if you have shared Jane Todd Crawford's story before? I think she deserves more recognition. Perhaps you could share my post? bsky.app/profile/shar...

That ain't no baby! 😲 Dr McDowell is a celebrated surgical pioneer, famous for removing the first ovarian tumour. Little is known about his patient - the incredible Mrs Jane Todd Crawford - the women brave enough to risk the surgery! Discover and share her story. open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

It's 30 years since Reclaim the Streets burst onto our roads. In my article for Red Pepper I trace the colourful history of the movement, that has more than a few parallels with today. www.redpepper.org.uk/political-pa...

I's Carnival weekend! 🥳 Did you know that behind there are radical feminist roots behind Europe's largest street party? All thanks to the inspiring Claudia Jones. Read the full story on my Substack, with a guest post from Roshni Ray. estherfreeman.substack.com/p/the-mother...

@kermodeandmayo.bsky.social Decided to watch The Narrow Rd after your review last week. Found it very disappointing. Thought you might be interested in my feminist reading of it. estherfreeman.substack.com/p/not-a-sing...

I've been watching The Narrow Road to the Deep North on the BBC's iPlayer. It's received critical acclaim, but I find the portrayal of women in it really problematic. Read my latest post on Substack for my full review and analysis. open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Loved season 1. Couldn't stop thinking about women's experiences within the health care system (both in the US and here) for days after. It said so much more than the the story it was about.

#OTD in 1888 a group of working class women brought down the capitalists and lit the match which started the fire of the New Unionism movement. estherfreeman.substack.com/p/it-took-th...

📣 call for applications 📣 Two part-time, paid Editorial Fellowships at History Workshop. Our fellowships support early career historians to develop expertise in public, radical and digital history & to gain experience of working in an editorial team. Please share widely! www.historyworkshop....

Love Ida. She was such a badass

#OTD in 1917 Beattie Orwell was born. She was one of the many women at the Battle of Cable Street, along with Sylvia Pankhurst and Jeremy Corbyn's mother! Discover more in my latest Substack. open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...

Happy Pride everyone! 🌈 It's 40 years since the Welsh miners led the Pride march in London, as an act of solidarity with Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. LGSM had fundraised for the miners during their strike, raising over £20,000, equivalent to £75,000 today.

Our first women's writing circle took place at Pimp Hall in Chingford yesterday. Love this comment from one of the participants. Through this model we really do get inside the world's of women from the past. If you would like to find out about the next join the mailing list >> bit.ly/40oqAYD