WRC is the UK leading umbrella body for the women’s sector. Its membership and networks include predominantly small local specialist women’s organisations.
WRC was established in 1984, originally as a network of teaching professionals to promote anti-sexist, anti-racist teaching materials in the educational curriculum and eventually evolved in to a women's centre. In response to consultation with organisations in the women’s voluntary and community sector (WVCS) in the late 1990s, WRC took on its current role as an umbrella body providing capacity building and support for women’s organisations, and registered as a charity in 1998.
WRC takes its position from the historical context of the Women’s Liberation Movement.
For more information, explore the [WRC website](https://www.wrc.org.uk/) and its [history page.](https://www.wrc.org.uk/herstory-of-women-s-resource-centre)
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This collection includes the born-digital records of The Women's Resource Centre (WRC). The first series consists of material relating to 'Sisters Doing it for Themselves', a project run by WRC to mark the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) in 2020.
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Please note the presence of this material within our collections does not imply an endorsement by LSE of the ideas or opinions expressed within the content. Views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees/participants. For more information please refer to our [Harmful content page](https://lse-atom.arkivum.net/harmful-content).
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This collection includes the recordings of 16 interviews carried out to mark the 50th anniversary of Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) in 2020. For the occasion, the Women's Resource Centre (WRC) ran a project called 'Sisters Doing It For Themselves', funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to create a unique oral history archive documenting the testimonies of current and past leaders.
The Women’s Voluntary and Community Sector (WVCS) grew out of the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM). The contribution of the WVCS in advancing women’s rights is largely undocumented. Many of the women who were involved in setting up women’s organisations and campaigning for change are now in their late 50s and 60s. Their struggles and achievements have remained largely invisible.
This archive illustrates the impact that the WVCS has had on the structural position of women, through campaigning and influencing. The archive will also provide insight into the impact on the lives of the women themselves as drivers of the movement.
The following women have been interviewed:
Rosalind Bragg - Maternity Action
Lee Eggleston OBE & Sheila Coates MBE - Rape Crisis
Sarbjit Ganger - Asian Women's Resource Centre
Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith - Healing Solidarity International Feminist Collective
Carolina Gottardo - Latin American Women's Rights
Vivienne Hayes MBE - Women's Resource Centre
Joyce Kallevik - WISH
Ranjit Kaur - Activist & Campaigner
Professor Liz Kelly - Child and Woman Abuse Studies, LMU
Marai Larasi MBE
Naana Otoo-Oyortey MBE - FORWARD
Pragna Patel - Southall Black Sisters
Mary-Ann Stephenson - Women's Budget Group
Dr Akima Thomas OBE - Women and Girls Network
The portraits of interviewees that accompany the interview recordings were taken by photographer Oluwatosin Wasi Daniju.
For more information, explore the [project page.](https://www.wrc.org.uk/past-projects-sisters-doing-it-for-themselves)
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The items in this collection are licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). If you wish to re-use any of the content in this collection, please make sure you use it in a legally and ethically responsible way. Further guidance in reusing copyrighted materials is available in our [Terms and Conditions page](https://lse-atom.arkivum.net/terms-and-conditions-for-re-using-content).
Photographs in this collection are copyright of Oluwatosin Wasi Daniju.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Rosalind Bragg, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Rosalind was the Director of Maternity Action, a UK maternity rights charity committed to ending inequality and improving the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, partners and young children. Date of interview: 18/11/2019. Length of recording: 00:45:46.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Lee Eggleston OBE and Sheila Coates MBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewees. At the time of the interview, they were the Operations Manager and Director of South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre respectively. Sheila and Lee set up the South East Essex Rape and Incest helpline as a women's collective in 1984. The organisation developed over the years to become South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC), which at the time of the interview was the lead partner for the Essex-wide sexual violence and abuse services, under the title Synergy Essex. Furthermore, at the time of the interview, Lee was also a trustee of Rape Crisis England and Wales and a regional representative for Rape Crisis England and Wales, representing the Eastern region. Date of interview: 30/01/2020. Length of recording: 01:18:51.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Sarbjit Ganger, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Sarbjit was the Director of Asian Women's Resource Centre, a specialist women's organisation providing holistic, independent support services to Black and minoritised women and girls experiencing abuse. Date of interview: 20/11/2019. Length of recording: 00:41:19.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Esua was the Director of the Healing Solidarity International Feminist Collective, as well as a feminist activist and writer, with a lifetime's experience in the women's sector locally, nationally and internationally. Esua was the first woman of colour to be elected Chair of the Fawcett Society, and co-founder and (at the time of the interview) Chair of the Gender and Development Network. She was a commissioner for the Women's National Commission, and a member of the UK Government delegation to the UN's fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing in 1995. Date of interview: 01/03/2021. Length of recording: 01:22:47.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Carolina Gottardo, along with a transcript and a summary of the recording. Carolina, a feminist migrant human rights activist, was Director of the Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS) between 2012 and 2017, a user-led feminist and human rights organisation addressing the practical and strategic needs of Latin American migrant women displaced by poverty and violence. At the time of the interview, Carolina was also a member of the UN Women's Global Expert Working Group on Gender and Migration. Date of interview: 26/10/2020. Length of recording: 00:50:08.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Vivienne Hayes MBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Vivienne was the Chief Executive Officer of Women's Resource Centre, a national support organisation for the women's sector in the UK. Date of interview: 20/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:51:04.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Joyce Kallevik, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Joyce was the National Director of WISH, a user-led national charity for women's mental health working in prisons, hospitals and the community. Date of interview: 16/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:59:57.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Ranjit Kaur, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. Between 2000 and the end of 2007, Ranjit was Director of Rights of Women, a charity that increased women's access to justice through the provision of legal advice and information. As Director, Ranjit ensured that women's rights were seen as a human rights issue. Date of interview: 20/01/2020. Length of recording: 01:16:16.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Professor Liz Kelly, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Liz was Director of the Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit at the London Metropolitan University and held the Roddick Chair on violence against women. Date of interview: 18/12/2019. Length of recording: 01:05:10.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Marai Larasi MBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. Marai stepped down as Executive Director of Imkaan in 2019, after ten years. At the time of the interview, Imkaan was the only UK-based second tier women's organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls. Date of interview: 16/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:47:14.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Naana Otoo-Oyortey MBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Naana was Executive Director of FORWARD, the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development, an African women's rights organisation in the UK opposed to violence against women and girls. Date of interview: 14/09/2019. Length of recording: 01:01:53.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Pragna Patel, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Pragna was a founding member and Director of Southall Black Sisters, set up to meet the needs of Asian and African-Caribbean women. Date of interview: 17/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:59:08.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Mary-Ann Stephenson, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Mary-Ann was the Director of Women's Budget Group, an independent network of academic researchers, policy experts and campaigners. Date of interview: 20/11/2019. Length of recording: 00:52:23.
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This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Dr Akima Thomas OBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Akima was the Founder and Clinical Director of Women and Girls Network, a holistic therapeutic service working with women and girls surviving violence. Date of interview: 02/07/2020. Length of recording: 00:55:32.
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This file includes two video recordings of Joyce Kallevik from WISH interviewed by students of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, London. One of the videos is the full length interview, the other is an edited version. The interview was conducted remotely and recorded via a video conferencing platform.
Date of interview: 04/03/2021
Length of recordings: 00:46:52 and 00:04:53
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This file includes two video recordings of Naana Otoo-Oyortey MBE from FORWARD interviewed by students of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, London. One of the videos is the full length interview, the other is an edited version. The interview was conducted remotely and recorded via a video conferencing platform.
Date of interview: 01/03/2021
Length of recordings: 00:39:40 and 00:04:02
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