This week's PhotoHunt theme is "In Memory."
In our world we do many things to remember people, events, loved ones, and even things. Parliament Hill in Ottawa is home to many such statues, as one might expect of the nation's capital. Tucked away amongst the paths are Queens, politicians, and this wonderful statue:
This is the statue of the Famous Five.
Inaugurated on October 18, 2000, this monument entitled "Women are Persons!" is in memory of Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. Known as the Famous Five, these women won the "Persons" Case, a 1929 court ruling which legally declared women as persons under the British North America Act and made them eligible for appointment to the Canadian Senate (To learn more about the "Persons" Case and the Famous Five, visit the National Archives of Canada website).
The larger-than-life sculptures by Edmonton artist Barbara Paterson were donated to the Government of Canada by the Famous 5 Foundation. They show the five women celebrating their important legal victory in characteristic poses. An empty chair adds an interactive feature to the monument that invites passers-by to join the group. The newspaper with the headline "Women are Persons" that Nellie McClung is holding reflects some of the actual headlines of newspapers of the day.
I took advantage of the empty chair. Sitting in the midst of these leaders enjoying both their victory, their tea, and their companionship, I was amazed at the expressions on their faces. Bemused, amused, proud, satisfied, and thrilled. They had struggled for years against an oppressive belief about women and their role in the world. They weren't, however, angry - although they could have been!
THE FAMOUS FIVE: WHO THEY WERE (from left to right on the picture, source: National Archives of Canada)
Nellie L. McClung (1873-1951), novelist, journalist, suffragette and temperance worker. She was a member of the Alberta legislature, the only woman on the Dominion War Council, and the first woman on the CBC Board of Governors.
Irene Parlby (1868-1965), suffragette and politician. She was elected president of the women's branch of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1916 and became a member of the Alberta legislature in 1921. She was still a member of Parliament at the time of the Persons Case.
Emily G. Murphy (1868-1933), instigator of the Persons Case, writer, and first woman magistrate in the British Empire. She pioneered married women's rights, was National President of the Canadian Women's Press Club 1913-1920, vice-president of the National Council of Women and first president of the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada.
Henrietta Muir Edwards, (1849-1931), journalist, suffragist and organizer, fought for equal rights for wives, mothers' allowances and women's rights. She started the Working Girls' Association in Montréal in 1875, a forerunner of the YWCA. Later, while living in Alberta, she compiled two works on Alberta and federal laws affecting women and children.
Louise McKinney (1868-1931), politician and temperance campaigner. She was president of the Dominion Women's Christian Union and elected to the Alberta legislature in 1917 as representative of the non-partisan league.
This helps us remember the accomplishment but also helps us remember how recently rights for women were won. To take it further, it helps us remember how precious rights are - especially when we consider how women and girls fare in other, less-enlightened countries!
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