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  • “It’s really meaningful for me that I can make art that lessens the sense of isolation and shame, just by talking about my disability in public.” | photo: self-portrait, Persimmon Blackbridge

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    activist artistPersimmon Blackbridgeother matters

    by Frances Rooney | May 30, 2008

    Her creative work deals with the experiences of those who’ve been through both the mental health and prison systems. Through her art, Persimmon has explored body image, community, depression, sexuality, alcoholism, marginalization, disabilities, pornography, and war. Her latest search for a collaborator is very personal. She is looking for a kidney donor. Her situation reveals something startling: Canada has one of the lowest organ donation rates among industrialized countries.  read more

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  • October 18, 1929: Persons Case

    This is a hugely important date in the legal history of women as it marks the moment Canada’s women added, “persons of right and privilege” to their standing of “persons in matters of pains and penalties.” This is a story about the process, led by Emily Murphy from 1916–1927, when the petition was signed to reconsider the definition of women, to the monumental day in 1929. Since then, the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund has continued to press for changes to laws that affect women. read more