Welcome to the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive

A passionate political activist in many regards — with a particular focus on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, women, and people with disabilities — Ruth Gorman (1914-2002) committed her life to seeking justice for marginalized and disenfranchised groups. The Ruth Gorman Curated Archive contains various notes, letters, articles, and other writings from Gorman's storied life of advocacy work in Alberta, Canada.

The Ruth Gorman fonds is held by the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections at Athabasca University. This site was created in partnership with the Archives and graduate students enrolled in GSJ 598 / DH 530: "Building Intersectional Feminist Archives" at the University of Alberta, and represents a small selection of materials from the fonds. To learn more about the fonds and this project, please visit the about page or contact the Archives.

How to Explore the Collection

This collection can be explored in multiple ways:

  • through exploring collections curated by the project team,
  • through a filterable browsing feature that uses subject headings and other descriptors created by the project team, 
  • by exploring items which have the same subject heading or format, or
  • through a timeline feature (below) created to highlight important dates in the collection relative to Canadian history and the life of Ruth Gorman

Not sure where to start? Take a look at some highlights from the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive.

Please note that this site works best when viewed on a desktop or with iOS.

A Note to Visitors to the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive

Please be aware that some of the records within the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive contain culturally sensitive content and deal with themes of colonial violence. Many of the records contain outdated language and reflect the attitudes and biases of their time. The documents have been uploaded in their original, unaltered forms and are intended to be a public resource of a historical nature. Please exercise care when accessing the Ruth Gorman Curated Archive.