In celebration of the 80th anniversary of Person’s Day, Sister Patricia McLean, founder of The Circle Women’s Centre, will be recognized among London’s ‘famous five’ at an event at Brescia University College on Oct. 18.
Person’s Day commemorates the ruling that women are ‘persons’ under the law. In 1927, women were not legally recognised as a person with rights within the Canadian Constitution (women were “non-persons”). The ‘famous five’ (Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, and Nellie McClung) contested the legal interpretation of the word “person” before the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Canadian Court denied their petition. Not taking “no” for an answer, on October 19, 1929, they took their appeal before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of London, England, which reversed the verdict. The Council ruled that the “exclusion of women… is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word ‘person’ should include females, the obvious answer is, ‘why should it not?'”
Every year, the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case are given to Canadian women whose effectiveness and courage has advanced the cause of equality for girls and women in significant and substantial ways. The five women who will receive London’s Famous Five Awards have made significant contributions to the women of this city as first-wave feminists, leaders, and mentors. In addition to McLean, the following women will receive awards: Jane Bigelow, former Mayor of London; Winn Whitfield, activist and women’s herstorian; Kem Murch, feminist filmmaker; and Dr. Mary McKim, psychiatrist specializing in women’s mental health.
The event will be held at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the Mother St. James Building. It begins with the presentation of the Famous Five Awards to be followed by tea and a community celebration.
Sponsored by the Women’s Events Committee, the members nominated local women who have shaped the ‘herstory’ of the feminist movement in the London area. This is a community event and open to everyone. Parking is free.
