Video - Women are Persons! Famous Five (Youth version) – Decoding ART – Heritage Monuments
Transcript of Women are Persons! Famous Five (Youth version) – Decoding ART – Heritage Monuments
Narrator: "This capsule is presented by Canadian Heritage."
[Canadian Heritage signature]
Narrator: "These statues show the most famous tea party in Canadian history. The party happened nearly a hundred years ago—back in 1929. At that time, women weren't considered persons under the law. That means that women couldn't become members of Parliament or hold other important jobs.
"The five women in this sculpture—known as the Famous Five — led the fight to change the law and make history having women recognized as persons. All five of these women had good jobs at a time when most women stayed home to raise children.
"Most women didn't know much about the law. So some, including these five, held special tea parties where they would teach other women about the law. They knew that if men came to these parties, it might spoil everything. To keep men away, the women held what were called "pink teas" — parties where everything, like tablecloths and napkins were pink. At the time, pink was considered a colour that only women liked.
"The Famous Five finally won their fight changing the law and be recognized as people. Look, they are celebrating their victory with a tea party proudly showing a newspaper with a front page headline 'Women are Persons!'.
"Come celebrate and share a tea with them. There is an empty chair just for you!"
[Canada Wordmark]