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Kay Livingstone
A Family of Activists
Kathleen “Kay” Livingstone (née Jenkins) was born in London, Ontario in 1919 into a family of activists. In 1923, her father, James Jenkins, founded The Dawn of Tomorrow, a newspaper that brought attention to incidents of discrimination and racism perpetrated against Ontario’s Black community. The newspaper advocated for the improvement of living conditions for the Black community and the education of Black youth.
In 1924, Jenkins also helped to found the Canadian League for the Advancement of Coloured People, which was based in London. The League and newspaper shared the goal of improving conditions among Black communities in Canada, particularly through education.
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Kay Livingstone
A Leader in Toronto
During the Second World War, Kay worked for the Bureau of National Statistics in Ottawa. During that time, she also began a media career, hosting radio shows and acting in both film and television. In 1942, she married George Livingstone, with whom she had two daughters and three sons.
After the war, Livingstone and her family moved to Toronto. There, she joined a Black women’s social club called the Dilettantes. She transformed the club into an advocacy organization focussed on social and political challenges facing the Black community. Under her leadership, the Dilettantes became the Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA) in 1951. The same skills that the former Dilettantes used to organize parties and teas now were used to plan fundraisers for scholarships for Black youth and Black history events.
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Kay Livingstone
A National Network
In 1973, Livingstone chaired the first-ever National Congress of Black Women of Canada, elevating the advocacy work and contributions of Black communities nationwide. The Congress was sponsored by CANEWA and brought together Black women and Black-led organizations. The three-day event in Toronto offered workshops and seminars on topics such as education, immigration, as well as the portrayal of Black people in the news media.
The event was highly successful, inspiring the creation of new chapters of the Congress throughout the country. Similar conventions were eventually held in Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver and more. The Toronto chapter of the Congress was established by Jean Augustine, who would become the first Black woman elected to Canada’s House of Commons in 1993.
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Kay Livingstone
National Dialogues
In the early 1970s, Livingstone became a consultant for the Privy Council of Canada, where she provided advice on issues relating to women, immigrants, and education. A part of her work for the International Year of Women Committee in 1975, Livingstone travelled the country speaking to women from diverse backgrounds. Out of this work, Livingstone coined the term ‘visible minority’ to describe racialized communities often overlooked in Canada.
Shortly after she introduced the term, Livingstone died suddenly on July 25, 1975. But Livingstone’s work lived on: the term “visible minorities” was a prominent part of Canada’s Employment Equity Act of 1986, which sought to create more equitable hiring practices and working environments. Livingstone was also instrumental in the founding of the National Congress of Black Women in Canada, which today continues to provide a forum for Black women to identify and address issues which affect them, their families and their community.
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Kay Livingstone
Space Goddess
For her “Space Goddess” portrait of Kay Livingstone for BSAM Canada’s “Unveiling Heroes of the Block” project, artist Autumn Beals “wanted to integrate glitch art to represent her deep relationship with voice and sound both in her career as a radio presenter.”
“As well as, in her advocacy for marginalized voices and experiences through the creation of the Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA) and the first National Congress of Black Women of Canada. I incorporated glitch through a portrayal of Livingstone as a space goddess, using radio sound waves that make up Livingstone’s hair, bright and vibrant colours, and incorporating visual aspects of outer space that give off a radiant energy.”
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