Yesterday we welcomed Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and Shadow Home Secretary, to speak to the girls about her experience in British politics and “the importance of supporting and speaking up for other women”.
Ms Abbott spoke of her family origins, as the daughter of two Jamaican immigrants, she fought against the pre-existing ideas and expectations of her school and peers. On leaving school she attended Cambridge and became a Journalist. Ms Abbott spoke inspiringly about her long, and often difficult career in the Labour Party as both a woman, and woman of colour. The resilience in her anecdotes and passion of her speech illustrated how her career through politics has been difficult. She was one of only a handful of women MPs when first elected in the 1980s, and the first black woman to be ever elected to the British Parliament. Revealing she was also one of the most targeted MPs for online abuse during the 2016 General Election, Ms Abbott concluded by stressing that all women must back themselves and pursue things they believe in.
