Newsfeed
Around the globe, institutions and industries have celebrated International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on the 8th of March every year, in several different ways. Some have shed light on women from around the globe that have been #BreakingTheBias, whilst others have dedicated the day to the many women fighting for their lives in their war-torn countries. Transport for London (TFL), the governmental body that is responsible for transportation in the capital, has decided to celebrate the occasion in a different way. Yesterday, it was announced that they were renaming all their stations to the names of the women that have shaped London.
“Launched on International Women’s Day 2022 in partnership with Transport for London, City of Women replaces the names of familiar stations with household names and unsung heroes from arts, sports, activism, science, media, law, medicine and beyond,” TFL announced.
“What would your daily commute look like if it celebrated remarkable women and non-binary people who have shaped our city? Instead of jumping off at Bond Street, Notting Hill Gate, Warren Street, Paddington, Euston Square, Waterloo, Bank or Lancaster Gate, what if you were invited to mind the gap at Audrey Hepburn, Claudia Jones, Virginia Woolf, Mary Seacole, Noor Inayat Khan, Agnes Beckwith, Boudica or Jung Chang?
City of Women encourages Londoners to take a second glance at places we might once have taken for granted by reimagining the iconic Underground map.”
The reimagined map was brought by TFL in partnership with City of Women and Haymarket Books, as well as Reni Eddo-Lodge, Rebecca Solnit, and Emma Watson. What’s most interesting about the names on the map, is that the TFL has honoured a sea of women, some of which may may not be as well known. Hannah Dadds, who was the first woman to become a Tube driver, and Jill Viner, who was London’s first female bus driver, are two of the men women highlighted in the map.
The name that truly stuck out to us, though, was Palestinian-British chef and author of Palestine On A Plate, Joudie Kalla. Joudie has not only reaffirmed her Palestinian heritage in her several best-selling cookbooks, but has also advocated for Palestinian rights as well as the rights of other victims of war, discrimination and abuse through her Instagram.
Kalla took to her Instagram to share her thrill at being chosen as one of the women whose name is featured on the map.
