On Dec. 12, 1921, Izena Ross designed history when she became Edmonton’s very first feminine town councillor.
In the past 100 several years, only 30 gals have adopted in her footsteps and only a person girl has at any time been elected mayor: Jan Reimer in 1989.
The Seeking for Izena podcast project aims to uncover her story and individuals of the other scarce ladies at city corridor.
“[Ross] was the very first girl to sit on Edmonton town council, and but, we have so little facts at the ready about her,” mentioned Ward 5 Coun. Sarah Hamilton.
“At the heart of it, we hear — I listen to, at minimum — that we want additional girls in politics.”
The challenge is structured by YWCA Edmonton, Parity YEG and present-day and previous Edmonton town councillors.
Looking for Izena is a regular monthly podcast that aims to check out the part gals played in municipal politics above the previous century.
“An option for people to discover about the record, and which is the significant intention for the reason that it strains up so flawlessly — it is an election calendar year,” stated Rajah Maggay, the project’s co-chair and volunteer with Parity YEG.
“It’s extremely disappointing when we’ve had all this time to development ahead and we have not reached easy milestones.”
Study far more:
Seeking for Izena undertaking seeks tiny-regarded corner of Edmonton’s background
In addition to education and learning, the challenge hopes to be a resource of inspiration and a potent testament to the worries women of all ages face.
“We want to create this protected position so that ladies can appear forward and make on their own individuals leaders and see themselves as politicians,” Maggay claimed.
“Women will get that elevated volume of loathe and that increased amount of scrutiny but you often have to go back to that concept that they are just as capable.”
Hamilton, who will be a guest on the podcast, mentioned to get more females in politics, “we want to be sincere about what that practical experience is like — the superior, the terrible and the ugly.”
“That when people today see some of the negative and the unappealing, they never say, ‘That’s not for me.’ They say, ‘This is why this is for me. This is why I’m wanted in this dialogue,’” she said.
Maggay mentioned there are continue to obstacles females need to have to split.
“We’ve never ever had a female of color sit on city council, so possibly that is a little something else likely ahead that can be seriously interesting for us, that we can increase to our background,” she mentioned.
Hamilton said in a numerous town like Edmonton, illustration issues.
“You need to have persons all around the table that search like the men and women who are living in the city,” she discussed.
The podcast launches on Jan. 19.




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