Sylvia Pankhurst was a suffragette and a communist; she campaigned for human rights, against fascism in Europe and against apartheid in South Africa; she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of working people, from the North of England to Romania; and she hated cruelty of any kind, defending young women in prison and becoming a vegetarian. She was also a poet. While her mother, Emmeline, and her sister, Christabel, were more famous during their own lifetimes, it is Sylvia who has increasingly been recognised as the most pioneering of the Pankhurst women. Indeed, Sylvia's multiplicity of talents and her deep concern for all those who were oppressed, regardless of sex, race or class, give her a particular affinity with our own times.
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Citation: Wynne Davis, Marion. "Sylvia Pankhurst". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 November 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3471, accessed 27 November 2024.]
