The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
A radical life of caring and sharing
At 71 and with three grandchildren, Lucille Harper is still a radical.
“People hear ‘caring and sharing’ and they say, ‘oh, that sounds nice,’ ” said Harper on Sunday.
“Yes it is ‘nice,’ but it is also radical, deep and profound and absolutely necessary.”
The type of caring and sharing Harper has spent her life organizing and fighting for is a more equitable and compassionate society.
One where single mothers get a chance to provide the lives they want for themselves and their children.
Where victims of sexualized violence get protection, justice and the supports needed to heal.
And where everyone not only gets the help they need to live with dignity but also knows how to treat those around them with respect.
“When we talk about caring and sharing in those profound ways, it means we need to interrupt and disrupt all the systems of inequality. And that includes capitalism.”
SOME PROGRESS
The longtime executive director of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services is one of seven Nova Scotians recently appointed to the Order of Canada.
She has seen some progress over her decades of work.
When she enrolled in a non-credit course at St. Francis Xavier University in 1982 titled Women Today, she and the 40 other women in attendance began talking about the lack of supports in Antigonish and opportunities to champion for social change.
“In those times there was substantial pay inequity, violence against women was largely unaddressed — it wasn’t even really named,” recalled Harper.
“We were just beginning to identify and name sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual assault and child sexual abuse was very, very hidden. Though it was an experience many women had, it was not identified and talked about. Intimate partner abuse — within dating relationships, marriage and common-law relationships — wasn’t discussed. Add on top of that, racism and a lack of attention to women’s mental health issues.”
The Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre was born out of that class at St. F.X. and began a long uphill journey that continues today.
Harper took the helm as executive director in 1988.
“It was a time when we were beginning to identify what the issues were and how they connected and informed each other,” said Harper.
“Women were beginning to establish transition houses, women’s centres, sexual assault centres, women’s periodicals.”
FROM ADVOCATES TO SERVICE PROVIDER
While the Women’s Resource Centre began as an advocacy group for social change, it quickly became a service provider as they heard the stories of unmet needs and injustice in their own community.
They established the first sexual assault nurse examiner program outside of Halifax for victims of sexual violence. But those victims also needed specialized counselling that couldn’t be found in rural Nova Scotia, so that was established and made open to all genders.
They worked with the Department of Public Health to establish programs addressing women’s health needs.
They helped develop a healthy relationships program to be taught at high schools throughout what was then the Strait Regional School Board and then with St. F.X. to develop a bystander intervention program.
The needs of not just women but the entire community drove them to team up with other concerned citizens to create the Antigonish Affordable Housing Society, the Antigonish Poverty Reduction Coalition, a fuel fund to help those in need keep their homes warm through the cold months.
“We tried to be a spark for initiatives that are out there now and working hard to provide supports for people facing issues of poverty, violence, etc, etc,” said Harper.
After three decades as executive director, Harper retired at the end of 2018.
But the work is far from over to make not just the world but our own communities more safe, equitable, caring and sharing places.
These days she’s neck-deep in involvement in Syrianantigonish Families Embrace, sponsoring Syrian families to move and settle in Antigonish.
Asked what being appointed to the Order of Canada meant to her, Harper cautioned that while an honour there were many other deserving hands on the wheel she’s spent her life pushing.
“I can’t tell you exactly what it means, because it is all brand new,” she said.
“One of the challenges and glories of being 71 is that my memory is increasingly leaky.”
OTHER APPOINTEES
Also appointed to the Order of Canada on Dec. 29 were the following Nova Scotians:
■ C. Céleste Johnston, O.C., Hunts Point – For her foundational research in neonatal pain and for further advancing the field as a beloved mentor.
■ Frederick A. Leighton, O.C., Bear River – For his contributions to veterinary medicine as a clinical pathologist and as an internationally renowned scholar specializing in wildlife disease.
■ Patricia Livingston, O.C., Halifax – For her contributions to global health and anesthesia safety, and for her commitment to improving medical education in underserved communities around the world.
■ Mary Ruth Brooks, C.M., Halifax – For being an internationally renowned scholar in the field of marine transportation, performance and supply chain management.
■ Sharon Davis-murdoch, C.M., Dartmouth – For her dedication to improving the health equity and inclusion of racialized communities in Nova Scotia.
■ Gerald Andrew Edward Lawrence, C.M., Halifax – For tirelessly advocating for people with disabilities and for accessibility, as a politician, radio host and community volunteer.
■ Allan S. Macdonald, C.M., Sydney – For his pioneering innovations in the field of kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation, and for positively impacting the lives of patients, notably within Atlantic Canada.
■ Peter Vaughan, C.M., C.D., Halifax – For his contributions to Canada’s health-care system, and for his pioneering leadership in the establishment and advancement of digital health.