Diane Abbott MP made history on 11 June 1987 when she was elected, opening a door for ethnic minority women in Britain. It is shocking that in two decades only three Black women have ever been elected (Diane Abbott MP, Dawn Butler MP, Oona King) and there has never been an Asian woman MP.

At the current average of one additional ethnic minority woman MP every 10 years, it will be more than 300 years before Parliament reflects Britain's population of ethnic minority women.

On 11th June 2007, Fawcett will present Diane Abbott MP and Dawn Butler MP with a cake to celebrate the anniversary, and host a reception at the House of Commons bringing together ethnic minority women who are shaping politics, business, the arts, media, and the grassroots and making a real difference to British society.

Fawcett will launch its innovative new 'Seeing Double' campaign on the needs and experiences of ethnic minority women during the evening. This new three year project is the first of its kind, working at a national level to examine how race affects ethnic minority women's access to power, money and justice.

Katherine Rake, Director of the Fawcett Society, said

"Diane Abbott's 20th anniversary is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the contribution of ethnic minority women to politics and public life. But we also need a new national debate to ask why there's not been more progress - why are ethnic minority women still so excluded from power?

"Unless the political parties take their severe under-representation seriously, it will be 2327 before the House of Commons achieves fair representation of ethnic minority women. That's ridiculously long to wait."

Discussing her anniversary, Diane Abbott MP said:

"I cannot believe that it is twenty years since I was first elected. The years seem to have gone by in the twinkling of an eye. One of my proudest moments was election day in 1987 itself. I was the first black woman ever elected to Parliament. Throughout the campaign people kept telling me it could not happen. When they announced the result in Hackney Town Hall it felt like a dream. My mother was there at the count and she was ready to burst with pride. My biggest regret is that after twenty years there are still only two black women. But apart from that if I had to do it all again, I would do it all again."

Notes

Ethnic minority women make up 5.2% of the British population. There are only two ethnic minority women MPs at Westminster, which is just 0.3% of the total of 646 MPs. There are 13 ethnic minority men MPs, which is 2% of the total. There are 126 women MPs, which is 19.5% of the total.
Diane Abbott MP was elected in 1987 and is the Labour Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. Oona King was elected in 1997 as a Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green & Bow. She lost her seat in 2005. Dawn Butler MP was elected in 2005 and is the Labour Member of Parliament for Brent South.
An Early Day Motion has been brought to demand more action on ensuring equal representation of ethnic women in public life.
EDM 1555 BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITY WOMEN IN PUBLIC LIFE 23.05.2007 : Butler, Dawn
- That this House celebrates the 20th anniversary of the current hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington becoming the first ethnic minority woman to be elected to Parliament; notes that the Fawcett Society's research shows that two decades later, ethnic minority women are still severely under-represented in Parliament, Government and public life; regrets that only three black women have ever been elected and there has never been an Asian woman MP; expresses concern that at the current pace of change it will take more than three centuries for Parliament to reflect the UK's population of ethnic minority women; and calls on the Government to renew its commitment to positive measures by extending the time limit on all-women shortlists and prioritising the needs of ethnic minority women.

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