Canada's first Black female lawyer honoured in Edmonton
Province renames Federal Building plaza after Calgary's `trail-blazing leader'
Violet King Henry, who shattered glass ceilings as Canada's first Black female lawyer, received a new honour Friday as the Federal Building plaza in Edmonton was renamed after her.
Born in Calgary in 1929, King Henry knew she wanted to be a criminal lawyer from a young age; a caption in her high school yearbook stated the aspiration, despite the fact no Black person had ever received a law degree in Alberta at the time.
“Violet King Henry defied expectations and broke barriers at every step of life,” Leela Sharon Aheer, Alberta's minister of culture, multiculturalism and status of women, said in a dedication ceremony in Edmonton.
“It's inspiring to think of her bravery and her perseverance and her passion to live her dreams,” said Aheer.
Born Violet King, she went to Crescent Heights High School, before starting her studies at the University of Alberta in 1948. She moved back to Calgary to article, working on a number of murder trials, and was called to the bar in 1954.
King Henry spent several years as a lawyer — and often addressed issues of racism and inequality — before moving to Ottawa to work for the federal Citizenship and Immigration department, and then eventually moving to the United States to take up executive positions with the YMCA.
King Henry, who married Godfrey Henry in 1965, died of cancer in New York at the age of 52 in 1982.
The couple had one child, who said Friday she was thrilled at the honour her mother was receiving.
“She was just as courageous, brilliant and steadfast as a mother as she was as a trail-blazing leader,” Jo-anne Henry-bent stated in a news release.
Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu noted: “Violet King Henry dedicated her life to fighting for Black people's rights. Today, we pay tribute not just to her incredible legacy, but also the countless men and women who enjoyed greater opportunities because of the doors she opened.”