Share UK
@share-uk.bsky.social
📤 55
📥 122
📝 75
Retrieving women from the dustbin of history. ✊✨ Join the movement!
https://linktr.ee/shareuk
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...
loading . . .
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.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/adelaide-knight-the-disability-activist
7 days ago
0
3
0
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.
loading . . .
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.
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/alternative-obituary-marina-lewycka
10 days ago
0
1
0
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-...
loading . . .
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).
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/elizabeth-burgwin-the-first-special
11 days ago
0
72
21
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!
loading . . .
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.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/how-women-become-middle-class-paupers?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
21 days ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Share UK
Women's History Network
27 days ago
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...
loading . . .
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…
https://womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resistance-how-women-used-food-to-fight-back/
0
30
18
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...
loading . . .
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.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/why-we-need-to-keep-talking-about?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
about 1 month ago
0
3
0
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...
loading . . .
The toddler climate activists
Time is running out to stop the devastating impacts of climate change. Is the next generation our last remaining hope?
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/the-toddler-climate-activists
about 1 month ago
0
4
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
2
0
1
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
@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..
.
loading . . .
https://sendsurvivalguide.wufoo.com/forms/qxuk6z..
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
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...
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
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.
loading . . .
Ida B Wells: the greatest movie never made
Ida B Wells was one of the world's leading civil rights activists, yet she is often missing from historical narratives, even during Black History Month
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/ida-b-wells-the-greatest-movie-never?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
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...
loading . . .
BBC Radio 4 - Artworks, What Happened to Counter-Culture?, 1. Absolute Beginners
Stewart Lee explores the story and ideas of counter-culture and its importance today.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gqy5
2 months ago
0
1
0
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.
loading . . .
To secure peace in Palestine we need to face up to our history
On the UN's International Day of Peace let's talk about how we failed in the past so we don't make the same mistakes again
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/to-secure-peace-in-palestine-we-need
2 months ago
0
1
0
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...
loading . . .
Esther Freeman Bookshop UK
Hi book lovers! I'm a social historian and writer of both fiction and non fiction. I specialise in women's history, and I have a podcast called Rebel Women. I love me a historical novel too. Check out...
https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/estherfreeman
2 months ago
0
1
0
@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...
loading . . .
When the women of Iran rose up
#OTD in 2022 women in Iran took to the streets against the morality police, following the death of Mahsa Amini
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/when-the-women-of-iran-rose-up?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
3 months ago
0
0
0
#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...
loading . . .
When the women of Iran rose up
#OTD in 2022 women in Iran took to the streets against the morality police, following the death of Mahsa Amini
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/when-the-women-of-iran-rose-up?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
3 months ago
0
0
0
@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...
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
0
0
0
@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...
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
0
0
0
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...
loading . . .
That aint no baby! The woman whose ovaries saved countless lives
There's no statues of her. She doesn't even have her own Wikipedia page. Yet women around the world owe their life to her. It's time she was properly honoured.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/that-aint-no-baby-the-woman-whose?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
3 months ago
0
0
2
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...
loading . . .
1995: The year we nearly changed the world - Red Pepper
Thirty years after its heyday, Esther Freeman traces the history of Reclaim the Streets, the movement’s energy – and its legacy
https://www.redpepper.org.uk/political-parties-and-ideologies/history/1995-the-year-we-nearly-changed-the-world/
3 months ago
0
0
0
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...
loading . . .
The Mother of the Notting Hill Carnival
As Notting Hill explodes into colour this weekend, Roshni Ray shares the story of the festival's founder - Claudia Jones.
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/the-mother-of-the-notting-hill-carnival
3 months ago
0
0
0
@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...
loading . . .
Not a single female character keeps her knickers on in the BBC's new war drama
War dramas often provide limited roles for women, but The Narrow Road to the Deep North on BBC iPlayer is particularly poor.
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/not-a-single-female-character-keeps
4 months ago
0
1
0
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...
loading . . .
Not a single female character keeps her knickers on in the BBC's new war drama
War dramas often provide limited roles for women, but The Narrow Road to the Deep North on BBC iPlayer is particularly poor.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/not-a-single-female-character-keeps?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
4 months ago
0
1
0
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.
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
0
1
0
#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...
loading . . .
It took these working class women only three weeks to bring down the capitalists
#OTD in 1888, the match women's strike at Bryant & May factory in Bow came to an end. In just three weeks almost all their demands were met, and a new labour movement born.
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/it-took-these-working-class-women?r=4s8jes
4 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Share UK
History Workshop
5 months ago
📣 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....
loading . . .
Call for Applications: Editorial Fellowships at History Workshop, 2025
History Workshop is advertising two part-time, paid Editorial Fellowships in 2025, open to early career historians.
https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/article/history-workshop-editorial-fellowships-2025/
1
30
37
Love Ida. She was such a badass
add a skeleton here at some point
5 months ago
0
0
0
#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...
loading . . .
The Day Beattie Beat the Fascists
#OTD in 1917, Beattie Orwell was born. She spent her entire life fighting for justice, including at the Battle of Cable Street.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/the-day-beattie-beat-the-fascists?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
5 months ago
0
0
0
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.
5 months ago
0
0
0
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
5 months ago
0
1
1
LAST CHANCE: Our women's writing circle is days away. Get your ticket booked now >>
bit.ly/womenswritin...
Join us as part of Chingford Heritage Festival to free write, journal or use any other creative writing to build a deeper connection with women from the past, on whose shoulder's we stand.
loading . . .
Women’s writing circle
Get creative and delve deeper into women’s history
https://bit.ly/womenswritingcircle
5 months ago
0
2
2
Any woman MP who heads into the Parliament for the debate on the proscription of Palestine Action, must remember whose shoulders they stand on. They are only there at all because a woman before them committed criminal acts. Read my latest Substack post
estherfreeman.substack.com/p/women-mps-...
loading . . .
Women MPs condemning Palestine Action yet celebrating the suffragettes is absurd
Women MPs so keen on proscribing Palestine Action, forget how they're in parliament in the first place. That's because they can't accept that some suffragettes were terrorists.
https://estherfreeman.substack.com/p/women-mps-condemning-palestine-action
5 months ago
0
0
1
For
#WorldRefugeeDay
I'm celebrating Yusra Mardini. You may already know her story as it was turned into a film for Netflix . But since the fall of Assad, she has a message for the world from the people of Syria. Check it out on my Substack:
estherfreeman.substack.com/.../yusra-ma...
.
5 months ago
0
0
0
Is there anyone in the UK who donates breast milk who would be up for giving an interview for my forthcoming book? I'm helping people understand how many babies lives have been saved this way through the centuries.
#MilkDonation
#breastmilk
#Donations
6 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Share UK
The Independent
6 months ago
Under the current law, abortion in England and Wales is a criminal offence but is legal up to 24 weeks, with the sign-off from two doctors
loading . . .
MPs vote to decriminalise abortion in historic change to reproductive rights
Move opposed by senior politicians including the justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, who branded it ‘extreme’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/abortion-vote-decriminalise-mp-parliament-b2771734.html?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bluesky&utm_id=bluesky
1
52
16
reposted by
Share UK
Working Class History
6 months ago
#OtD
13 Jun 1919 200,000 attended in Berlin the funeral procession for martryed revolutionaries Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, who were murdered during the German Revolution by the proto-fascist Freikorps militia
shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/...
1
78
36
People on social media are asking why the climate activist, Greta Thunberg, is getting involved in Gaza. But this siloing of political causes is a new thing - in the past it was common for people to campaign for different issues.
open.substack.com/pub/estherfr...
loading . . .
Greta Thunberg is a climate activist. Why is she getting involved in Gaza?
Some on social media are asking why the climate activist, Greta Thunberg, is getting involved in Gaza. Yet she is following in the footsteps of many great women activists before her.
https://open.substack.com/pub/estherfreeman/p/greta-thunberg-is-a-climate-activist?r=4s8jes&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
6 months ago
0
1
0
@suegill.bsky.social
I wondered if you or any of your fellow WI-ers might be interested in my event:
bit.ly/womenswritin...
loading . . .
Women’s writing circle
Get creative and delve deeper into women’s history
https://bit.ly/womenswritingcircle
6 months ago
0
0
0
@lbwfarchives.bsky.social
Could you give our North Chingford Heritage Festival event a share?
bit.ly/womenswritin...
loading . . .
Women’s writing circle
Get creative and delve deeper into women’s history
https://bit.ly/womenswritingcircle
6 months ago
0
3
4
We're excited to tell you about our new women's circles, which we're launching as part of North Chingford Heritage Festival. Learn more and reserve your free place at: To reserve a place visit:
bit.ly/womenswritin...
6 months ago
0
3
1
@howl2025.bsky.social
Hey! I'm looking for someone who delivered food supplies to the Greenham Common peace camp who might be up for doing an oral history intv. I don't suppose you have come across anyone like this? I know there were people who volunteered to do this.
6 months ago
0
1
1
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris (I think that applies to smoothies?!)
6 months ago
0
0
0
Load more
feeds!
log in