Persons Day and the Gertrudes

I grew up in a small prairie city where the opportunities for live music were as rare as those to participate in social activism. Even though there was no strong feminist community, I was fortunate enough to be raised in an respectful equal opportunity household. Being protected from oppression in this way meant I did not realize women were not treated equally or even conceived of as equal around the world until I was almost a teenager. As such, I believe that being a feminist (or a pro-feminist, as my partner would remind me) should include in its mandate education and awareness as a method of eliminating oppression. Does a woman who can speak but is not heard have a voice?

I was born on a very special day, the day upon which the Persons Case was settled, such that the Privy Council in England declared that Canadian women were indeed ‘persons’ under the law and thus could be appointed to the Senate. Now, in 1929, when this was resolved, women over 21 had only been voting for eleven years. Even though we could vote, we could not be appointed to the Senate, a situation which suggests that while women were good enough to elect the government, they could not participate in one of its highest bodies.

This Sunday, October 18th, we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the declaration of women as “qualified persons” in Canada. Here at Queen’s University, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students along with Interval House and the Sexual Assault Center of Kingston have organized a rally to begin at 3:00 PM in City Park. In addition to the wonderful speakers and the decorative poetry banners, there will be LIVE MUSIC. Yes, LIVE MUSIC!!! I cannot think of a more wonderful and empowering way to celebrate the personhood of women than with LIVE MUSIC. After the rally, refreshments will be served and an art exhibition will greet participants at Wallace Hall in the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC). All ages are welcome!

If you have not yet had the chance to listen to the Gertrudes, then you are in for a special treat. Find your way over to their myspace page to sample a few tracks and learn about their local history. They have been around in Kingston for the past number of years and are always a joy to see live at the Skeleton Park Music Festival. Now, as a reward to all you regular QFR blog readers, find here below a link to the official music video for the Gertrudes’ “Turn Out the Lights” which can be found on their “Hard Water” EP.

Turn Out the Lights.