1991 Fredericton Encaenia
Brown, Rosemary
Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Orator: Patterson, Stephen E.
Image
Image Caption
L to R: Dr. Robin Armstrong, Rosemary Brown
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Source: PR-Convocation, 1991
Citation:
ENCAENIA, MAY, 1991
ROSEMARY BROWN
to be Doctor of Laws
In 1975 when Rosemary Brown decided to run for the leadership of the national New Democratic Party, she figured her chances were slim, but she was determined to raise the consciousness of Canadians, including those of her party, to what she and others called the woman's agenda. She ran as an unabashed feminist. She sought both to advance the cause of women in politics and to challenge what she perceived as the patriarchal and hierarchical structure of the male-dominated political system. Women and men inevitably see the world differently, she believed -- biology, history, and socialization make it so -- and it was time for women to speak for women. Her message to her party was that social democracy and feminism belong together. Hundreds not only agreed but shocked the pundits by supporting her to the last ballot and a strong second place finish. Equally shocked were the party brass; David Lewis told her that she represented "a genuinely dangerous threat to the party."
Thus in her quest for the leadership of a major political party, Rosemary Brown discovered that power comes in different guises: for some it is the power of control, of leadership, of being in charge. That kind of power eluded her. For others, however, power comes from being "a genuinely dangerous threat." Rosemary Brown knew this kind of power: the power of influence, the power of persuasion, the power of raised consciousness, a power both symbolic and real for women, visible minorities, the economically disadvantaged, and others left out of our imperfect democracy.
Through her quest for political leadership, this small Black woman from Jamaica became a national figure and a household name. Her quest also marked an important turning point for her in her adopted country. The Canada she met in 1975 was friendly, generous, supportive, and amazingly attentive to her message. It had not always been so. Indeed, the Canada Rosemary Brown confronted when she first came to attend McGill University in 1950 was both racist and sexist. The intolerance was often subtle but none the less real, and she and her husband frequently experienced outright discrimination, especially in housing and employment, because of the color of their skin. “To be both Black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist," she was later to say, "is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up!" Despite it, she and her husband determined to remain in Canada and settle in Vancouver, raise their children, serve the community, and challenge the contradictory values Canadians seemed to profess. As time passed, Canada began to change, and while we err if we exaggerate the completeness of the change, we are equally wrong if we do not see the advancement made in human rights to which Rosemary Brown and others like her have contributed.
Her achievements have been palpable. The first Black woman to be elected to a Canadian legislature, the first Canadian woman to run for the leadership of a major national party, one of a handful of women leaders to carry the principles of the first Royal Commission on the Status of Women into the highest levels of political debate and eventual constitutional enshrinement, these are Rosemary Brown's accomplishments, foundation stones for women everywhere to build on. She spent 14 years in politics, most of it as a member of the British Columbia legislature, during which she fought for human rights, social justice, protection for women and children, winning the admiration of visible minorities, the thanks of the powerless, and especially the shared pride of Black people for what she was doing and for who she was.
Her political career is now behind her, yet Rosemary Brown continues to fight for justice, peace, and human equality and to carry her campaign from Canada into the third world. Today she is executive director of MATCH, an organization dedicated to helping third world women. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that we also acknowledge her support, as a member of the campaign committee, of the effort to create at this university a Centre for the Study of Family Violence.
"Brown is beautiful!" was her campaign slogan in 1975. It is just as true today.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
ROSEMARY BROWN
to be Doctor of Laws
In 1975 when Rosemary Brown decided to run for the leadership of the national New Democratic Party, she figured her chances were slim, but she was determined to raise the consciousness of Canadians, including those of her party, to what she and others called the woman's agenda. She ran as an unabashed feminist. She sought both to advance the cause of women in politics and to challenge what she perceived as the patriarchal and hierarchical structure of the male-dominated political system. Women and men inevitably see the world differently, she believed -- biology, history, and socialization make it so -- and it was time for women to speak for women. Her message to her party was that social democracy and feminism belong together. Hundreds not only agreed but shocked the pundits by supporting her to the last ballot and a strong second place finish. Equally shocked were the party brass; David Lewis told her that she represented "a genuinely dangerous threat to the party."
Thus in her quest for the leadership of a major political party, Rosemary Brown discovered that power comes in different guises: for some it is the power of control, of leadership, of being in charge. That kind of power eluded her. For others, however, power comes from being "a genuinely dangerous threat." Rosemary Brown knew this kind of power: the power of influence, the power of persuasion, the power of raised consciousness, a power both symbolic and real for women, visible minorities, the economically disadvantaged, and others left out of our imperfect democracy.
Through her quest for political leadership, this small Black woman from Jamaica became a national figure and a household name. Her quest also marked an important turning point for her in her adopted country. The Canada she met in 1975 was friendly, generous, supportive, and amazingly attentive to her message. It had not always been so. Indeed, the Canada Rosemary Brown confronted when she first came to attend McGill University in 1950 was both racist and sexist. The intolerance was often subtle but none the less real, and she and her husband frequently experienced outright discrimination, especially in housing and employment, because of the color of their skin. “To be both Black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist," she was later to say, "is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up!" Despite it, she and her husband determined to remain in Canada and settle in Vancouver, raise their children, serve the community, and challenge the contradictory values Canadians seemed to profess. As time passed, Canada began to change, and while we err if we exaggerate the completeness of the change, we are equally wrong if we do not see the advancement made in human rights to which Rosemary Brown and others like her have contributed.
Her achievements have been palpable. The first Black woman to be elected to a Canadian legislature, the first Canadian woman to run for the leadership of a major national party, one of a handful of women leaders to carry the principles of the first Royal Commission on the Status of Women into the highest levels of political debate and eventual constitutional enshrinement, these are Rosemary Brown's accomplishments, foundation stones for women everywhere to build on. She spent 14 years in politics, most of it as a member of the British Columbia legislature, during which she fought for human rights, social justice, protection for women and children, winning the admiration of visible minorities, the thanks of the powerless, and especially the shared pride of Black people for what she was doing and for who she was.
Her political career is now behind her, yet Rosemary Brown continues to fight for justice, peace, and human equality and to carry her campaign from Canada into the third world. Today she is executive director of MATCH, an organization dedicated to helping third world women. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that we also acknowledge her support, as a member of the campaign committee, of the effort to create at this university a Centre for the Study of Family Violence.
"Brown is beautiful!" was her campaign slogan in 1975. It is just as true today.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
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