Each October, Canada celebrates Women’s History Month, a time to honour the many women who have worked to change narratives and break boundaries in the context of Canadian history. While women from both the past and present deserve to be celebrated each day, I thought it would be fitting to recognize a few remarkable women of diverse backgrounds who have brought about change in our country:
Viola Desmond (July 6 1914 - February 7, 1965)
For years, Canadian banknotes have largely been dedicated to patriarchal and colonial successes, often excluding women, people of colour, and other marginalized communities within Canada. However, history was made in 2018 when Viola Desmond replaced John A. Macdonald on the Canadian ten-dollar bill, a powerful symbol of her legacy and the broader recognition of the fight for representation in Canada.
Desmond was an entrepreneur who ran a successful beauty salon and school in Nova Scotia, called The Desmond School of Beauty Culture. This school provided a safe space for young Black women to share a love and passion for beauty, while also empowering them with the skills and confidence to pursue careers which might have been inaccessible to them due to racial barriers (Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 2018). It was not her entrepreneurship and teaching that made her known, but rather her courage in refusing to let herself be a victim of racial segregation.
During a night out at Roseland Theatre, Desmond refused to move from a seating area designated for white people. This act of rebellion resulted in her subsequent arrest and financial penalty. But Desmond would continue to remain resilient in the face of systemic racism, resolving to take her case to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Although the government would ultimately deny her the justice she deserved, her choice to speak out against her mistreatment was incredibly important in setting an example for the civil rights movement in Canada.
Her commitment to the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, an organization that worked with government agencies and advocated for Black-Canadian relations, would also evidently be pivotal in the province’s reformed segregation laws implemented in 1954 (CBC, 2016). It wouldn’t be until after her death that she would be formally pardoned from her conviction, and recognized for her part in advocating for the Black community. She would later be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, named a National Historic Person by the Canadian government, and of course, voted to be the first Canadian woman put on the banknote (Bingham, 2021).
(Viola Desmond at her beauty salon. Photo courtesy of Wanda Robson Collection.)
Mary Two-Axe Early (October 4, 1911 - August 21, 1996)
Mary Two-Axe Early, a Mohawk woman from Kahnawà:ke, Quebec, was a trailblazer for women's rights in Indigenous communities. She helped form coalitions and organized campaigns that brought recognition to injustices women were being subjected to through the Indian Act. Most notable was her fight against the sexist policies implemented that robbed women of their official Indigenous status if they decided to marry non-Indigenous men. This was one of many subtle colonial methods aimed at diminishing the significance and scope of Indigenous communities within Canada. The loss of status resulted in subsequent loss of rights; women and their children were forced to leave their reserves, denied payments they were once entitled to, and refused basic rights such as healthcare and education - yet this was not the case for men that decided to marry non-Indigenous women.
In the 1960s, a group of women facing these inequities formed an advocacy group called ‘Indian Rights for Indian Women,’ with Mary Two-Axe Early serving as a key figurehead in this alliance. They set out to Ottawa and demanded that section 12(1)(b) of the Indian Act be revised to grant Indigenous women the same rights as their male counterparts when choosing who to marry, regardless of whether or not that person was non-Indigenous. After 17 long years of fighting, the motion was eventually recognized by the Royal Commision, and Mary Two-Axe Early was the first of many women to regain her status (Indspire, 2024).
Mary Two-Axe Early was eventually made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec, an honour given to those who have gone above and beyond to contribute to the development of the province, as well as awarded the Governor General’s Persons Case Award, which pays tribute to individuals who have promoted equal rights for women in Canada. Other accolades of hers include an honourary doctorate of law from York University and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, both also offering official acknowledgment in her fight for equality within marginalized groups. Her legacy is a testament to the power of persistence when fighting for the rights of your community, which, although at times may be difficult, can ultimately change a status quo that is so desperately asking to be revised.
(Mary Two-Axe Early. Photo courtesy of National Film Board of Canada)
Hide Hyodo Shimzu (May 11, 1908 - August 22, 1999)
Hide Hyodo Shimzu was a passionate advocate for Japanese-Canadian rights and education. Shimzu not only broke boundaries by being one of the first Japanese-Canadian to receive a teaching certificate, but she did so while facing anti-Japanese sentiments that were especially prominent in Canada during the Second World War. Before consequently being forced into a Japanese internment camp by the Canadian government, Shimzu dedicated 16 years to teaching children in British Columbia at Lord Byng Elementary School, and even learned Japanese so she could effectively communicate with her students who did not know English (Gwiazda, 2019). In addition to her commitment to education, Shimzu actively fought for the rights of the Japanese-Canadian community in Canada.
In 1936, Shimzu travelled to Ottawa with an advocacy group to fight against the Dominion Elections Act, which unlawfully disenfranchised Asian immigrants by disallowing them the same voting rights as other citizens. Although her pleas did not result in immediate change, her voice created an echo that would allow future generations to be heard, with equal voting rights eventually being restored for Asian communities by 1949.
In 1941, Shimzu, like many other Japanese-Canadians, was eventually forced out of her home and into internment camps due to escalating tensions in the war (Government of Canada, 2021). Prisoners were subjected to harsh living conditions. Their shelters lacked adequate protection from weather, and the amount of food provided was often insufficient for families, requiring them to work or use savings to feed themselves. Despite this, during her time of imprisonment she would dedicate her time and expertise into overseeing education for children in various camps across British Columbia - all while still continuing to teach at Lord Byng. Shimzu worked tirelessly to organize and educate volunteers to teach and set up classrooms that would provide adequate tools to ensure imprisoned children would receive an education the Canadian government was not willing to provide (Nikkei Museum, N.D.).
She would later go on to receive the Order of Canada award - an official recognition of citizens who have made exceptional differences in the development and social progress of the country. The National Association of Japanese Canadians would also go on to set up a scholarship in her name (Government of Canada, 2021).
(Hide Hyodo Shimzu teaching at camps. Photo courtesy of National Film Board of Canada/Library and Archives Canada)
These three women, Viola Desmond, Mary Two-Axe Early and Hide Hyodo Shimzu, embody remarkable resilience and tenacity in their respective pursuits. Their contributions in advancing social justice and equal opportunity are just a few of the many stories that have brought about meaningful change in Canada’s history. It is my hope that we can all continue to recognize the courageous acts of women from the past and into the future, and extend this recognition beyond just the month of October.
“Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” - Viola Desmond
Author: Naomi Anquist
References:
Government of Canada. (2021). Hide Hyodo Shimizu. Women and Gender Equality. https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/women-impact/human-rights/hide-hyodo-shimizu.html
Canadian Encyclopedia. (2019). Hide Hyodo Shimizu. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hide-hyodo-shimizu
Indspire. (n.d.). Mary Two-Axe Earley. https://indspire.ca/laureate/mary-two-axe-earley/
Canadian Encyclopedia. (2021). Viola Desmond. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/viola-desmond
Canadian Human Rights Commission. (2018). One woman’s resistance. https://humanrights.ca/story/one-womans-resistance
Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. (n.d.). Hide Hyodo Shimizu. https://nikkeimuseum.org/www/collections_detail.php?col_id=F1172
National Film Board of Canada. (2021). Mary Two-Axe Earley. https://www.nfb.ca/film/mary-two-axe-earley/
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