Human Rights A Day

Actor, screenwriter, monologist Spalding Gray kills self during a depression. On January 10, 2004, Spalding Gray was to have flown to Aspen, Colorado from New York, but his flight was cancelled. Instead, he took his two boys, Theo and Forrest, to see the movie Big Fish, about a dying father and his relationship with his son. After the movie, he said he was going to visit friends, but never reached their home. Two months later, on March 9th, Gray’s body was pulled out of the East River. Spalding Gray was born in Barrington, Rhode Island on June 5, 1941, one of three boys to a homemaker mother and factory worker father. Gray began acting in high school and carried on in regional theatres until moving to New York where he created plays based on his childhood memories. By 1979 Gray had launched a new kind of performance art becoming known as a “monologist.” He would tell stories using minimal props, such as a desk, water and some notes. He spoke openly with darkness and humour about his life, including his infi

U.S. Supreme Court rules that doctors, not legislators, determine “fetal viability.” The heated debate in the United States regarding the rights of fetuses and pregnant women was fought on many fronts. In January 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the most debated case of all, Roe vs. Wade, declaring that a woman’s constitutional right to privacy is more important than a state’s right to restrict abortions. The same day, another court ruling brought an end to restrictions on abortion facilities. Despite that, various states attempted to prevent or restrict abortions in other ways. Pennsylvania passed a law requiring doctors to try to preserve the life of a fetus during an abortion, where feasible. However, on January 9, 1979 in a six to three ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the state in Colautti vs. Franklin. This upheld doctors’ unfettered discretion in determining "fetal viability," granting doctors and not the courts or legislatures the right to determine when a fetus is able to live outsi

Newfoundland moves into a non-denominational public school system. For many years, Newfoundland’s public school system was controlled by religious institutions. In fact, when Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949, the schools were controlled by seven religious denominations: Catholic, Anglican, United, Moravian, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Seventh-day Adventist. In 1987, the constitutional right to full funding under Term 17 was extended to Pentecostals as well. While there was a certain level of opposition to churches controlling the school system, and there were definite costs to having separate systems, it was sexual abuse scandals that came to light in the 1980s and 1990s that persuaded Newfoundlanders it was time for a separation of church and state when it came to education. Premier Brian Tobin called a referendum for September 2, 1997 and despite fierce opposition from some churches, 73 per cent of the public voted in favour of creating a single non-denominational public school system. While

Justice Frank Iacobucci appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Frank Iacobucci was born the son of Italian immigrants in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 29, 1937. Although he initially aspired to become a doctor, his dislike of blood led him to contemplate other options. When an elementary principal compared the talkative student to a lawyer, he never looked back. Iacobucci graduated from the University of B.C. and Cambridge University before being called to the bar in Ontario in 1970. He began teaching at the University of Toronto in 1967, gradually working his way up to dean of the law school. In 1985, Iacobucci became Canada’s deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general. Just three years later he was appointed chief justice of the Federal Court of Canada. He achieved the apex of his career on January 7, 1991, when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Iacobucci held that position until his retirement from the bench in 2004. Although he was honoured with numerous awards over his

Barbara Hanley becomes Canada’s first woman mayor. Barbara McCallum Smith was born in 1882 in Magnetewan, Ontario. She became a public school teacher, working in a few communities before settling in the northern Ontario town of Webbwood. There she married Joseph Hanley and they adopted a daughter. Hanley was an active member of the Webbwood community before getting into public office, first as a school trustee and then as the first woman town councillor. On January 6, 1936, she became Canada’s first woman mayor, defeating Robert E. Streich for Webbwood’s top job. Hanley served for eight terms before stepping down in 1944. However, she carried on as clerk/treasurer for Webbwood from 1946 until 1950. She died in 1959 at the age of 76. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elizabeth Bagshaw, one of Canada’s first women doctors, dies at age 100. Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was born on a farm in Victoria County, Ontario in October 1881. A bright student with an excellent memory, Bagshaw decided at 16 she would be a doctor. She enrolled at the Women’s Medical College in Toronto and achieved her undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. When her father died, she briefly returned to Victoria County and attempted to run the family farm. But she encountered so much sexism from the farm workers that she fired them all, sold the farm, moved to Toronto and graduated from medical school in 1905. Although it was tough for women to land a medical internship at the time, Bagshaw managed to intern with another woman pioneer in Canadian medicine, Dr. Emma Leila Skinner whose practice was mostly in maternity work. In 1906, Bagshaw moved to Hamilton to practice medicine, specializing in obstetrics. Between 1932 and 1966, she served as medical director of Canada’s first birth control c

United States’ first Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, dies. Moses Alexander was born in 1853 in Bavaria, the youngest of eight children. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1867, settling in with two sisters before moving on to Missouri, where he got involved in the retail clothing business and politics. In 1891 he moved to Boise, Idaho to open a number of clothing stores. There, he was instrumental in opening Boise’s first synagogue and getting elected as mayor. After two mayoral terms and several attempts at the governorship, Alexander became governor of Idaho in 1914 – the first Jewish person to hold such a post in the United States. During his two terms as governor, he strongly supported giving women the vote and instituting prohibition. He chose not to run after his second term, focusing instead on his businesses and family. But he remained actively involved in the National Democratic Party, where he was a sought-after speaker until his death of a heart attack on January 4, 1932. See acast.com/privacy for priv

Miss Canada pageant comes to an end. The Miss Canada beauty pageant kicked off in 1946 with a swimsuit contest in Hamilton, Ontario. For years, the pageant featured only contestants from Ontario, but gradually it grew into a national event first televised in 1963. Women were rated on their looks, poise, body and “unique talents.” Winners of the Miss Canada title went on to compete in the Miss World pageant. Canada’s Karen Baldwin thrilled many by clinching the world title in 1982. Although the Canadian pageant scored high television ratings, the women’s movement took umbrage with the way it represented women. Judy Rebick of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women stated on a CBC newscast, "Beauty pageants are a symbol of the exploitation and oppression of women." Their groundswell of protests resulted in the production being terminated on January 3, 1992. That year, B.C.’s Nicole Dunsden became the last Miss Canada. In pulling the plug, event managers cited increased production costs and financia

Norman Bethune leaves Vancouver for China. Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario on March 3, 1890, Norman Bethune interrupted his education when he enlisted in World War I. Following his experience there as a stretcher-bearer, he returned to complete his M.D. in 1916. As a young doctor, he became disillusioned to see patients he’d saved return to their same, filthy conditions – conditions he considered a virtual death sentence. When Bethune and colleagues pushed for socialized medicine in Canada, they were labelled radicals. That didn’t stop him from setting up a free clinic in Montreal and continuing to push for reform. In time, his work and studies took him to the Soviet Union and Spain. When he returned to Canada in 1937, Bethune embarked on a cross-country tour to raise money for humanitarian work in Spain. On January 2, 1938, Bethune left Vancouver, B.C. for China, where he set up more than 20 teaching and nursing hospitals and established the world’s first mobile medical unit. He also worked with the Red Army i

White Canadian women given federal vote. The right to vote in Canada evolved like a two-steps-forward, one-step-back dance. The government allowed, then rescinded the vote before deciding to grant it conditionally; it depended on one’s property holdings, race, ethnicity and gender. Before Confederation in 1867, women may have been allowed to vote, but in many regions, they dared not exercise it for fear of social stigma. However, in places where the vote was taken away or never granted, women in the movement for universal suffrage worked long and hard to win the rights that most men took for granted. Interestingly, in 1917, women of British descent who had close relatives fighting overseas in World War I, were able to vote on their relatives’ behalf in federal elections. It was on January 1, 1919 that all white women were finally given the right to vote in federal elections. By then, a few provinces (such as Manitoba since1916) were also allowing women to vote. The right to a provincial vote spread slowly

Lucille Johnstone, known as "Tugboat Annie," dies. Lucille Johnstone was born in 1924 in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she lived her whole life. She became a certified general accountant at a time when few women attained professional education, and launched into a 45-year career with RivTow, a male-dominated group of companies that towed barges and boats on the waterways of British Columbia. As she rose through the ranks to president, she gained the nickname “Tugboat Annie.” Her business career also extended to serving on the boards of Expo ’86, Grace Hospital, Vancouver International Airport and the Vancouver Board of Trade. Johnstone was also admired for her community work. She served as chair of the Kwantlen College fund drive and of the Sexual Assault Recovery Anonymous Society. At one time, she also served as executive director and CEO of St. John’s Ambulance. Her business and community work earned Johnstone an honorary doctorate from the University of B.C., the Order of B.C., the YWCA Woman of the

Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sandra Lovelace Nicholas takes First Nations women’s injustice to the United Nations. Sandra Lovelace Nicholas was born on April 15, 1948, a Maliseet from the Tobique Nation in New Brunswick. When she married a white man, she lost her Indian status in the eyes of Canadian law, as per the Indian Act. That meant she and her children were denied housing, education and other benefits from her own band. Worse, even after she was divorced, she was not able to regain her Indian status. Two other women, Yvonne Bedard and Jeannette Lavell, had previously fought this unjust law and lost at the Supreme Court of Canada, so Lovelace Nicholas avoided that route. Instead, she took her case directly to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. There, on December 29, 1977, she declared that the Indian Act was violating women aboriginals’ rights under the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Four years later, the UN agreed, but it took several more years of debate and lobbying before the persistence of Lovelace Nichol

Muriel Siebert breaks the gender barrier at the New York Stock Exchange. When Muriel Siebert opened her firm Muriel Siebert & Co. on December 28, 1967, she became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange – and the only woman among 1,365 men. Siebert began her career in the finance world as an analyst in 1954. A few years later, while looking to work with another firm, she was told she would have to wear white gloves and a hat in the elevator, just like the secretaries did. That likely explains why she created her own firm. In 1975, Siebert’s company became the first American brokerage house to offer discount services, something that remains a staple today. Two years later, she became New York’s superintendent of banks, with responsibility for regulating $500 billion in the banking system. During her tenure, not one bank failed in New York while others went broke in different states. Siebert carried on her work by educating women (and men) of the importance of financial independence. Se

Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Prime Minster Lester B. Pearson dies. When Lester B. Pearson died on December 27, 1972, he left his mark on Canada and the world. Born in Ontario in 1897 and schooled throughout the province, Pearson graduated from the University of Toronto in 1919, after enlisting for combat during World War II. He went to Oxford University on a scholarship and upon his return, joined the Department of External Affairs. Through hard work and a pleasant demeanor, Pearson worked his way up the ranks, becoming Canada’s ambassador to Washington, DC and then deputy minister. He moved into politics and sat in the cabinet of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent at a time when Canada’s international influence was at its peak. Pearson became president of the UN in 1952 and was the architect behind the peace-keeping strategy that prevented war during the Suez crisis of 1956. For his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. After a time in Opposition, Pearson became leader of Canada’s Liberal Party

Nancy Cruzan dies after a long legal battle for the right to die. On January 11, 1983, Nancy Cruzan, aged 25, was thrown from her car in a collision. When paramedics found her, she had stopped breathing for 15 minutes, yet they were able to revive her breathing but not her consciousness. After five years of watching over their unconscious daughter, Joyce and Lester Cruzan wanted Nancy’s feeding tube removed so that she could die a natural death. That meant wading into the legal and moral issue of a person’s right to die. The family’s long legal battle was with the state of Missouri, which argued that its interest in preserving life was worth more than the family’s desire to remove treatment. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the interests of the Cruzans in a five-to-four decision, stating there was no “clear and convincing evidence” to prove that Nancy would have wanted the tube feeding stopped. Less than six months later, the Cruzans presented Judge Charles Teel Jr. the “clear and convincing” evi

Soviet Union’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, resigns. Mikhail Gorbachev rose through the ranks of the communist Soviet Union to become its leader in March of 1985, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. At 54, he was the youngest person to become the general secretary of the Communist Party, which also made him the head of the superpower. However, faced with a crumbling infrastructure and corrupt state, he wanted to bring radical change to the dictatorial regime. He worked at bringing democratic reforms to the Soviet republic with policies such as perestroika, or restructuring, and glasnost, or openness; none of the Soviet countries had even the basics of these at the time. Observers expected human rights, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, free enterprise and a multi-party political system to follow. But too much upheaval ensued. After seven challenging years at the helm, Gorbachev announced his resignation on December 25, 1991. Soon after that, the Soviet Union disintegrated amid much turbulenc

Canada’s last father of Confederation, “Joey” Smallwood, is born. Joseph Roberts “Joey” Smallwood was born on December 24, 1900 just outside Gambo, Newfoundland. Because his family was poor, he left school at the age of 15 to work in the newspaper business. After a number of years writing for Newfoundland newspapers and doing one stint with a socialist paper in New York City, he gained prominence through a column in Saint John’s Daily News. This, combined with his radio show on the Voice of Newfoundland, eased his entry into Liberal politics. In 1946, he was sent to Ottawa as a delegate to kick-start Newfoundland’s admission into Canada as a province. A strong supporter of uniting with Canada, he used his column and radio show to promote these aims every chance he had. In a referendum that revealed 52.3% in favour and 47.7% against, Newfoundland joined Canada as its 10th province on March 31, 1949. In 1949, as leader of the Liberal Party, Smallwood became the province’s first premier, and hence Canada’s last

Jeanne Sauvé is appointed Canada’s first woman governor general. Jeanne Mathilde Benoît was born in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan in 1922, and educated in part in an Ottawa convent. She attained a degree from the University of Ottawa, then traveled throughout North America, becoming involved with many youth movements. After marrying Maurice Sauvé, she traveled with him to Europe before settling back in Canada in 1952. Sauvé worked for years as a journalist before entering politics as one of the first female members of Parliament from Quebec. She entered politics in 1972 and left it in 1984. During her time in Parliament, she served in many cabinet portfolios, at one point as the first woman speaker in the House of Commons. On December 23, 1983, Sauvé was appointed Canada’s first woman governor general. She took up the post in May of the following year and stayed as the queen’s representative until 1990. She died on January 26, 1993. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Top Saskatchewan and Canadian bureaucrat Thomas Shoyama dies. Thomas Shoyama was born in Kamloops, British Columbia on September 24, 1916. Shoyama graduated from the University of B.C. with economics and accounting degrees. However, the racist climate prevented him from working in his profession. For example, the 1935 decree of the B.C. legislature read, “Be it resolved that this house go on record as being utterly opposed to further influx of Orientals into this province.” Instead, he worked for the Japanese newspaper New Canadian. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in 1941, Shoyama and the newspaper were relocated to the deserted town of Kaslo, B.C., one of five towns used as internment camps for Japanese Canadians. Shoyama joined the Canadian Intelligence Corps near the end of the war and left in 1946 as a sergeant. While visiting Saskatchewan, he heard CCF Premier Tommy Douglas speak. With Shoyana’s education and smarts, the Saskatchewan government was happy to hire him and by 1950 Shoyama had moved