In honour of International Women’s Day this week, I’ve decided to profile some amazing women in Vancouver history, starting with Rosemary Brown. Recent namesake of a West End lane, star of a Canadian postage stamp, and recipient of over a dozen honorary degrees, Rosemary Brown was a feminist, writer, educator, politician, and mother who changed the course of history in BC and Canada.
Rosemary Brown (1930-2003)
From the Vancouver Sun: “Tireless advocate for the disadvantaged — “Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it” — Rosemary Brown was a gritty, outspoken feminist and provincial legislator with a vision of equality much broader than defined by race or gender.”
Born in Jamaica, she came to Canada in 1951 to study, receiving a BA from McGill University a Masters in Social Work from the University of British Columbia.
In 1956, she helped in the founding of the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (BCAACP). The BCAACP worked to open up housing and employment to Black people in British Columbia, and for the introduction of human rights legislation in the provincial parliament.
Working with the BCAACP and Voice of Women in the 1960s, she also worked briefly with the Children’s Aid Society and as a counsellor at Simon Fraser University. Brown was often a panelist on the national television series People in Conflict.
Norm Levi, Rosemary Brown, Dave Barrett and Harold Steves in 1975. MICHAEL STURDY / VANCOUVER SUN
In 1972, she entered politics and was the first black woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature. During her 14 years as MLA for Vancouver-Burrard, Brown created a committee to remove sexism in British Columbia’s educational material and was instrumental in the formation of the Berger Commission on the Family, among her many other accomplishments.
She thought that it was important that issues of human rights, poverty, racism, and sexism should be addressed at the early stages of students’ education.
In 1988, she was featured in the National Film Board’s documentary, “No Way, Not Me” a twenty-five minute film addressing issues of poverty among young women:
She received many awards over the years, along with honorary doctorates of Law from several Canadian Universities. Brown received the Order of British Columbia and the Ontario Black Achievement Award, the Order of Canada and a United Nations’ Human Rights Fellowship. She was also a life member of the Privy Council of Canada and a member of Canada’s Security Intelligence Review Committee.
Brown also won a YWCA of Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Award in 1989.
“To be black and female in a society that is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up!”
After politics, she became a professor in women’s studies at Simon Fraser University and became the CEO of the advocacy group MATCH International Women’s Fund.
In the 1990s, she wrote an autobiography, Being Brown: A Very Public Life, and was named chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
In Downtown Vancouver’s West End you’ll find Rosemary Brown Lane located between Robson and Haro streets, running from Burrard Street to Lagoon Drive.
Sources used in this post: Vancouver Sun, BC Black History, Canadian Encyclopedia, Legislative Assembly of BC
The Museum of Anthropology (“MOA”) presents first-ever collaboration between six First Nations communities with the illuminating new exhibition Culture at the Centre. Coordinated by MOA Curators Jill Baird and Pam Brown, the collective effort between the Musqueam, Squamish, Lil’wat, Heiltsuk, Nisga’a, and Haida nations offers insight into the significant and innovative work taking place in five Indigenous-run cultural centres & museums in BC to support their language, culture, and history.
MOA Presents Culture at the Centre
Where: Museum of Anthropology (UBC, 6393 NW Marine Drive)
When: March 18, 2018 to October 8, 2018
Exhibit Opening Reception: March 18, 2018 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
Basket by TheresaGabriel (Lil’wat) made before 1916 (MOANd688). Photo by Derek Tan.
Covering a wide geographic expanse, from what is now Vancouver to the Nass River Valley, this is the first time the participating communities will come together to curate an exhibition and showcase their diverse cultures in one space. The collaborators of Culture at the Centre hope to broaden visitors’ understanding of the role of cultural centres & museums in their respective communities.
Culture at the Centre will highlight the important work these cultural centres do in their communities. The centres are Musqueam Cultural Education and Resource Centre (Musqueam), Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre (Squamish, Lil’wat), Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre (Heiltsuk), Nisga’a Museum (Nisga’a), and Haida Gwaii Museum and Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay (Haida).
This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see the belongings from these communities presented in their own voices, and will be organized under three main themes: Land and Language, Continuity and Communities, and Repatriation and Reconciliation.
Featuring dynamic displays, unique territorial maps and images, Indigenous languages, cultural objects, and video works, the MOA hopes that this will be the first of many such exhibitions of its kind that celebrates and collaborates with these diverse communities and centres.
Win Passes
I have a family 4-pack of tickets to give away so that you can experience Culture at the Centre (between March 18, 2018 and October 8, 2018). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win @Moa_ubc passes for Culture at the Centre (on Mar 18 to Oct 8) http://ow.ly/DAu130iOojh” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Follow MOA on Twitter and Facebook for more information about this exhibition and more.
Update The winner is Jenn Davidson!
Starting January 1, 2018, kids can explore Parks Canada sites for free! Admission to all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada will be provided free of charge for youth 17 and under.
Kids Can Explore Parks Canada Sites for Free
In case you’re wondering where this applies in BC, here is a helpful reference list:
National Parks in BC
National Heritage Sites in BC
- Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site of Canada
Transportation route to Klondike gold fields
Chilkoot, British Columbia
- Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada
First permanent lighthouse on Canada’s West Coast, 1859-60
Colwood, British Columbia
- Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada
Early 19th-century Hudson’s Bay Company post
Langley, British Columbia
- Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site of Canada
Late 19th-century fort to defend Victoria-Esquimalt fortifications
Colwood, British Columbia
- Fort St. James National Historic Site of Canada
Fur trade post founded by Simon Fraser, 1806; Hudson’s Bay Company
Fort St. James, British Columbia
- Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site of Canada
18th-century Gitwangak hilltop fortification surrounding five longhouses, Tawdzep
Gitwangak, British Columbia
- Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site of Canada
Outstanding West Coast fish processing complex, 1894
Richmond, British Columbia
- Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site of Canada
Traversed by Palliser expedition, 1857-60; adopted by Canadian Pacific Railway as their new route through the Rockies, 1881
Yoho National Park, British Columbia
- Kootenae House National Historic Site of Canada
Site of North West Company post, 1807-12
Invermere, British Columbia
- Nan Sdins National Historic Site of Canada
Remains of Haïda longhouses and totem poles
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve of Canada , British Columbia
- Rogers Pass National Historic Site of Canada
Canadian Pacific Railway route through Selkirk Mountains
Glacier National Park of Canada , British Columbia
- Stanley Park National Historic Site of Canada
Outstanding large urban park, 1890s
Vancouver, British Columbia
- Twin Falls Tea House National Historic Site of Canada
Early rustic tea house in Yoho National Park, 1923-24
Yoho National Park, British Columbia
Quick Info
The Parks Canada campground reservation system launched in January. Visitors are encouraged to reserve early to ensure they have a space and find the perfect spot for their visit.
Parks Canada manages a network of 46 national parks, 171 national historic sites, four national marine conservation areas, one national urban park and eight historic canals that make up the rich tapestry of Canada’s cultural and natural heritage. Follow Parks Canada throughout #Canada150 on Facebook.
Free admission for youth only applies to places managed by Parks Canada. Guided tours and hikes and programs not usually included with admission will still have a fee. This does not apply to provincial parks, territorial parks, municipal and private parks, nor to the many historic sites not managed by Parks Canada.
The Museum of Vancouver (“MOV”) in partnership with Haida Gwaii Museum presents a visual feast of innovation and tradition with Haida Now, a collaborative exhibition featuring an unparalleled collection of Haida art.
Museum of Vancouver Presents Haida Now
Dates: March 16, 2018 to June 15, 2019
Where: Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver)
Guest curated by Haida Curator Kwiaahwah Jones in collaboration with Viviane Gosselin, Co-curator and Director of Collections & Exhibitions at MOV, the exhibition will feature more than 450 works by carvers, weavers, photographers and print makers, collected as early as the 1890s.
An impressive group of local Haida Artists will share their insights and knowledge about the collection, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience a new, powerful way to engage with the worldview and sensibility of the Haida people while gaining greater appreciation for the role museums can play in the reconciliation movement.
The Haida Gwaii Museum in Skidegate is a partner in the project with its new director, Nika Collison, playing an advisory role in regards to exhibition content and protocol. For the past two years, Haida artists and knowledge holders have visited the vaults at MOV, and have helped the curatorial team with the process of documenting these artworks.
An estimated one fifth of the Haida population—many of them artists—reside in Greater Vancouver, situated on the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Skwxwú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh. For this reason, Haida Now also acknowledges the Haida peoples’ long-standing relationship with Coast Salish people by providing an early history of conflict that gave way to commerce, and more recently to artistic and political settlement and international coalitions.
To complement the exhibition, MOV is pleased to offer a host of public programs to further elaborate on themes of the exhibition and facilitate public conversation about the role of museums and Canadians in the reconciliation movement.
Win Tickets
I have a family 4-pack of tickets for the MOV to give away so that you can experience Haida Now. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Like, share or comment on this post on Facebook (1 entry)
- Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a family 4-pack of tickets to Haida Now at the Museum of Vancouver #HaidaNow #AtMOV @museumofvan @HaidaMuseum http://ow.ly/Twg730iMOBj” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
Follow the Museum of Vancouver on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, March 12, 2018.
Update The winner is Tazim!
Science and adventure will abound at Britannia Mine Museum this spring break! I love the Britannia Mine Museum for its local history, environmental stewardship, and hands-on displays and demos – and for kids, it’s all of this plus a wondrous world of discovery both above ground and below.
Spring Break at the Britannia Mine Museum
March 19th to April 1st, 2018, 11:00am to 2:00pm
Located at Britannia Beach, Britannia Mine Museum is a National Historic Site that comes alive in all seasons with special programming, and Spring Break is the perfect time to check out their 10 acres of exhibits and heritage buildings.
Explore the inside of a mountain on our underground train tour, pan for gold and other gemstones (keep what you find), check out the giant mining truck, and use scientific equipment to test the soil and water and discover how plants at Britannia Mine live and grow.
Suitable for ages 7+. Be prepared to be outside for some of the activities so dress for the weather.
Also during Spring Break, enjoy DIG Day on Saturday March 17, and the Easter Dino Egg Hunt on Sunday April 1.
The Britannia Mine Museum provides unique and memorable experiences that engage visitors of all ages. Visitors can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites like the underground mine train, the historic 20-storey concentrator mill and gold panning, and learn about Britannia’s history as one of the largest copper mines in the British Commonwealth in the 1930s.
Follow the Britannia Mine Museum on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information.
