Women’s History Month 2026 has the theme ‘Leading the Change’. Haringey has a remarkable and proud history of women pioneers who have challenged systemic inequalities across all aspects of life.

This Thursday at Bruce Castle Museum & Archive you have the chance to hear from 3 such pioneers, at a FREE evening talk and panel discussion!

Joan Neary, Carmelita Kadeena-Whyte and Ursula Murray established the Haringey Women’s Employment Project in the 1980s. They are pictured here on the occasion when they deposited their amazing HWEP archive in 2018 for the collections at Bruce Castle.

Come along and listen to their discussions as part of an evening showcasing their activism at our FREE talk, ‘Campaigning for Jobs in 1980s Britain – Haringey Women’s Employment Project’.

Full details and booking link below!

Thursday 19 March, 7.30pm to 9pm

Free, all welcome. Booking required.

This Women’s History Month, come along to Bruce Castle Museum and Archive for an evening talk by Dr. Natalie Thomlinson (University of Reading) and panel discussion with the former organisers of the Haringey Women’s Employment Project – Carmelita Kadeena-Whyte, Ursula Murray, and Joan Neary.

Women are rarely seen as the primary victims of the unemployment crisis that hit Britain in the 1980s. By 1979, women’s unemployment rates were higher than men’s across the UK. Women’s experiences often went unreported – both at the time, and later. This talk explores the experiences of women looking for jobs here in North London. It illuminates the archives of the Haringey Women’s Employment Project and their activism around barriers that faced local women struggling to find work, such as racial discrimination alongside sex discrimination, and lack of childcare or training. This event celebrates the achievements of the group, and asks what can their activism teach us today.

Doors open 6.30pm – a chance for refreshments and visit the project exhibition ‘The National Woman’s MP: Joyce Butler, women’s rights and women’s liberation’. Talk: 7.30 – 9pm

This event is part of the Joyce Butler Project based at Bruce Castle Museum & Archive. The project examines the histories of women’s lives, rights and work in post-war Britain.

Organised by the Joyce Butler Project with Bruce Castle Museum & Archive.