– Carolyn Harley

(A tribute to Frances Wright)

Brilliant flashes of inspiration
Ricochet from thought to thought
Epic accomplishments etched in time
Glories of the past brought forward
To energize the actions of today
To motivate the speakers and the doers
To excite the believers and evokers
To tap into the power of the past!

Picture this:
Two women talking
Frances Wright and historian, Nancy Millar
Picture this:
Two women remembering
The days of struggle of The Famous 5
Before ‘The Persons Case’ was finally won
On that significant date in 1929
The years had staggered to the 1990s
So many years earlier
The fight for women’s rights
Had flashed across the universe
Like a trumpet’s blare
Like a chorus from the heart of humanity
Truth was written on the sky!!

Picture this:
Two women planning
Picture this:
Two women demanding
A symbol of our respect for the courage of The Famous 5
Those five feisty Alberta women who battled
To make legal persons of feminine entities
Who endured without a legal leg to stand on
In the days when the world belonged to men
We have built upon their success in the decades
That have passed since they struck the world of men
A deadly blow!

Frances Wright is speaking…
Nancy Millar agrees…
A symbol is required
Something big and bold and glorious
Something enormous and inspirational
Something to stand the test of time
To bring a sense of awe and wonder to those who remember
Something to represent the rigorous accomplishments of The Famous 5
Those five women who forged ahead in a world that constantly contrived
To bring women’s independence and innovation
To a standstill.

Frances Wright got a notion
She saw the answer in her mind
Five statues representing
The five who changed the face of time
Once the vision of five statues was firmly planted
She proceeded to gather voices
To speak of history as a point of pride
Today’s women were still in need of courage
Five statues would be a solid reminder
The rights held today as normal
Were fought for in the days gone by

Frances turned for help from Calgary women
Who believed in the power of The Famous 5
To challenge and encourage generations
To remember to protect the rights
That shape the contours of our lives
Slowly the vision became reality
When Alberta sculpture
Barbara Patterson’s five statues were installed
In a place of honour
In the heart of Calgary
Where civic government and art coincide

Olympic Plaza was the first place of honour for these five statues
But Frances dreamed a larger scope
She championed the notion
Of five statues of women proudly standing
On Ottawa’s Parliament Hill
Celebrated among the statues of famous men
And she persevered until what seemed impossible
Became truth cast in bronze
Against the granite towers
Of our nation’s capital!

Picture this:
The Famous Five on a Canadian stamp
(the work of Frances Wright!)
The Famous 5 on the Canadian fifty-dollar bill
(the work of Frances Wright!)
The inclusive language “in all of us command”
(in part the work of Frances Wright!)
The Alberta Order of Excellence
(Awarded to Frances Wright)
The Famous 5 Foundation
(co-founded with Nancy Millar by Frances Wright)

Picture this:
Women and girls inspired to stand up for what they believe in
Men and boys inspired to work toward a world of equality and respect
A society that believes in each individual’s right
To dignity and unlimited opportunities
Picture this:
A standing ovation for a woman who took into her heart a moment in time
And ran with it to the benefit of a nation
Thank you, Frances Wright
You were definitely
The ‘Wright’ woman for the job!!