Explore the Exhibit

Content Warning

Some of the content in this exhibit might be offensive due to explicit images (nudity) and language. Sensitive subjects such as rape and abortion are mentioned, but not talked about in detail. We acknowledge that the exhibit also includes problematic language. It draws on material from another time. Some of the language used in quotations is no longer acceptable. We endeavored to use appropriate language with the exception of these quotes. The wording was left as-is in these cases to help illustrate the disparity of attitudes between then and now.

Student Protesters wearing Thought Police helmets, 1969

Fight, Fight, Fight!

Anti-authoritarianism in second-wave feminist movements in Edmonton, Alberta as reflected in artifacts from the Karen Rowswell collection at the City of Edmonton Archives.

Women’s Movements At The Time

During second wave feminism in the 1960s to 1980s, women began increasingly to fight against embedded and overt patriarchal authority for their rights. They fought for control over their education, employment, bodies (birth control and abortion), ending violence against women, and legal rights through many different channels (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2016). The first large women’s liberation conference in Canada was in Saskatoon in 1970 and served as a diving board for the important actions the movement would take (Rise Up, n.d.).