Many will not be familiar with Rosemary Brown, especially those outside of Canada. However, she made some significant contributions. Brown was a crusader for social justice, long before it was cool to do so. She was also the first Black woman to serve in the Canadian parliament.
Name: Rosemary Brown
Birth Date: June 17, 1930 – April 26, 2003
Job Function: Legislator, Social Activist, Educator, Feminist
Known For: Pioneer of 20th Century Canadian Politics
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Why Rosemary Brown is a Badass Woman
Rosemary Brown devoted her life to the cause of justice and equality for women and minorities. She wanted to break down traditional barriers against both women and Black people in Canada. Brown also worked hard to eliminate sexism in textbooks, increase female representation on boards and prohibit discrimination based on sex or marital status.
- Known as a crusader for social justice and a pioneer of 20th century Canadian politics.
- Used the trauma she experienced due to racism to fuel her social activism, laying a foundation for change in Canadian politics.
- Took the lead on championing same-sex benefits and fighting workplace discrimination.
- Founding member of several organizations whose mandate was to prevent the discriminatory practices she experienced from happening to others.
Steps to Success
- Rosemary and William Brown became founding members of the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
- In the early 1960s, she joined the Voice of Women, an anti-nuclear group that lobbied for arms control and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
- Hosted a weekly television program called People in Conflict.
- Founding member of the Vancouver Status of Women Council and the Canadian Women's Foundation.
- NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, Canada from 1972 to 1986.
- First black woman ever elected to a provincial legislature.
- Taught at Simon Fraser University as the Ruth Wynn Woodford Professor of the Endowed Chair in Women's Studies from 1987 to 1988.
- Served as the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission for a 3-year term.
- Served as a member of the Judicial Council of British Columbia.
Mini Biography of Rosemary Brown
Born in Kingston, Jamaica on June 17, 1930, Rosemary Brown emigrated to Canada in 1951 at the age of 20 to attend university. Her experience with racism was a rude wake up call for her, having been brought up in a safe and supportive environment. Despite her traumatic experiences, she made a success of her life.
Bad things happen to everyone, some more so than others, but it’s how you respond to those challenges that determines what you’re made of. No one could really blame her if she had become angry or resentful about what happened to her – how the system treated her. However, Brown later channeled the traumatic experiences to lay the foundation for a life of activism and her political accomplishments.
Here are a few of the things Rosemary Brown went through.
- Arrived in Canada at the age of 20 to study social work at McGill University in Montreal.
- Encountered hostility from immigration officials.
- Potential landlords and employers rejected her.
- Secured a private dorm room at McGill because white students didn’t want her for a roommate.
Despite the many obstacles and barriers that Rosemary Brown faced, she managed to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill in 1955. And she also earned two other degrees from the University of British Columbia – a Bachelor in Social Work in 1962 and a Master’s in Social Work in 1967.
Life of Public Service
Rosemary Brown’s life in public service started around 1955 when she relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, to marry William Brown. The two of them were founding members of the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (BCAACP). The BCAACP opened up housing and employment to Black people in British Columbia. And they worked to introduce human rights legislation in the provincial parliament.
Brown entered electoral politics in 1972. At the time, she was the coordinator of the Vancouver Status of Women Council's Ombudsoffice for Women. The Council was involved in an initiative to get feminist women elected to positions of power. They backed Brown in her bid for the British Columbia legislature to represent the Vancouver-Burrard area. She ran for the New Democratic Party (NDP). When she won her seat in the legislature, Brown became the first black woman to serve in a Canadian parliament. She was re-elected to the seat in 1975.
In 1975, Brown ran for the federal leadership of the party, but lost to Ed Broadbent. She was also the first black female candidate for leadership of the NDP. I doubt they were ready for any woman to be the leader of a political party, much less a Black one.
In 1993, Brown was appointed and served as the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission for a 3-year term. In her term, she made the Commission more efficient and took the lead on issues such as same-sex benefits and workplace discrimination.
Important Timelines
- Rosemary and William Brown became founding members of the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
- In the early 1960s, she joined the Voice of Women, an anti-nuclear group that lobbied for arms control and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
- Hosted a weekly television program called People in Conflict.
- Founding member of the Vancouver Status of Women Council and the Canadian Women's Foundation.
- Her foray into electoral politics came in 1972. Brown was an NDP MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) in British Columbia, Canada from 1972 to 1986.
- Was the first black woman ever elected to a provincial legislature.
- In 1973, she received a United Nation’s Human Rights Fellowship.
- Taught at Simon Fraser University as the Ruth Wynn Woodford Professor of the Endowed Chair in Women's Studies from 1987 to 1988. Brown also taught at Victoria University's School of Social Work from 1986 to 1987 and at the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in 1988.
- In 1989, appointed and served three years as CEO of the advocacy group MATCH International Women's Fund in Ottawa. The nongovernmental development agency helps to fund projects run by feminist groups in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America to empower women.
- In 1993, she was appointed and served as the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission for a 3-year term.
- Served as a member of the Judicial Council of British Columbia.
Rosemary Brown Awards and Honors:
She was given 15 honorary doctorates from Canadian universities.
1972 – National Black Coalition Award
1973 – United Nations, Human Rights Fellowship
1989 – YWCA, Woman of Distinction Award
1991 – University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society, Great Trekker Award
1995 – Government of British Columbia, Order of British Columbia
1996 – Government of Canada, Order of Canada
2001 – Government of Jamaica, Commander of the Order of Distinction
2002 – Canadian Labour Congress, Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity
2002 – Harry Jerome Award
2004 – The Rosemary Brown Award for Women established
2009 – Commemorative stamp unveiled
2017 – As part of Canada’s 150 Rosemary Brown named as one of Canada’s top 150
Sources Referenced
“Passages.” Maclean's, vol. 116, 12 May 2003, p. 15. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A101291220/BIC?u=tplmain&sid=BIC&xid=459ee43c. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
Lewis, Robert. “Ms. Brown on black rage.” Maclean's, vol. 109, no. 28, 8 July 1996, p. 2. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A18486690/BIC?u=tplmain&sid=BIC&xid=a8aedfd1. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
Kennedy, Peter. “NDP trailblazer Brown dies at 72.” Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 28 Apr. 2003, p. A7. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A102818764/BIC?u=tplmain&sid=BIC&xid=ba796acf. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
“Rosemary Brown.” Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 62, Gale, 2007. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606003728/BIC?u=tplmain&sid=BIC&xid=18c03806. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
“Green leadership hopeful wants to become the first black woman to lead a national party.” The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 Jan. 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Canada, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612675233/CIC?u=tplmain&sid=CIC&xid=b48d1d70. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.
BC Black History Awareness Society, https://bcblackhistory.ca/rosemary-brown/
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