Take Action in the Spirit of Sisterhood

As the world marks International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, we are curious — how, exactly, are you “accelerating action?” That’s the theme of IWD 2025 and, ahead of the day itself, a key question that will be asked of four distinguished panellists at UCalgary Alumni’s next Dig In! webinar on March 6. 

For more than a century, IWD has highlighted the plight of women, especially mothers, in the workplace and fought for reforms. Over the years, women have used this day to help win concessions on issues such as a 40-hour workweek, child-labour laws, abortion rights, sexual harassment, affordable child care and equitable pay.

Some of these hot-button issues have driven and shaped entire careers, such as that of panellist and lawyer Althea Francis, BA’95, LLB’99, who, for decades, has used her legal muscle to address systemic barriers that disproportionately affect racialized communities. 

Spotlighting similar issues is the powerful art of Teresa Posyniak, MFA’83, who has explored the themes of “vulnerability and resilience” throughout her life. 

But what if you’re art professor Laurel Johannesson, MFA’99, who flexes her artistic power to question sexist tropes by shooting provocative films — does that trigger a societal shift? 

Or, like Gina McKinnon, BA’12, committee chair at a local art gallery, you help mount a politically controversial art installation that promotes dialogue around issues such as gender identity and climate change (yes, we are thinking of Trans Healthcare Saved My Life) — does that spark change?

The questions are almost endless: Who is out there actually measuring change? What weight do we attach to these women’s actions? Who should be the ultimate judge when art offends? What type of activism matters? And, really, does one action matter more?

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This diverse group of panellists may not take to the streets on March 8 in a handmaid’s costume (then again, they may), but their ongoing commitment to accelerating action through their careers or, in McKinnon’s case her volunteer work, is worth learning from and celebrating. 

“I believe that art allows people to communicate complex ideas and feelings between one another in a way language alone cannot,”

 Gina McKinnon, BA’12

Choosing Between a Passion and a Paycheque

“Artists can reveal and envision alternative ways of being,” explains Johannesson, an artist and professor at Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts), whose work has appeared in Italy, Iceland, Greece, Switzerland and France. “By offering impetus for dialogue and critique, art can disrupt conventions and provoke critical reflection in ways that go beyond conventional forms of advocacy.”

So true, adds visual artist McKinnon, whose day job lies in corporate services for an energy royalty company while her artistic alter ego gets fed after hours at The New Gallery as chair of its governance committee. 

“I believe that art allows people to communicate complex ideas and feelings between one another in a way language alone cannot,” she says. “Art can build bridges to strengthen bonds between people and can ultimately unite communities. And we need unity for without community-led action we cannot disrupt systems rooted in patriarchy and inequality.”

Using art as a political platform, however, is far from easy, points out Posyniak, who remembers juggling child-rearing with art classes. 

“Early on, I learned that striving for political content that resonates with the public is incredibly challenging,” says the artist behind one of the BMO Centre’s newest and biggest acquisitions, Grasslands Tapestry (6 x 24 ft.). “When I was first starting out as an artist, I had to focus solely on my ‘craft,’ so to speak, which spanned painting, sculpture and installations. My activism was just something I did . . . and yes, it inspired me in many ways, but I’ve never approached my work with a prescriptive intent — my passion for social justice reveals itself in my work in surprising ways.”

"I’ve never approached my work with a prescriptive intent — my passion for social justice reveals itself in my work in surprising ways."

Teresa Posyniak, MFA’83

Careers Can be Portals into Alternative Worlds

Understanding and interpreting the nuanced language of art is a complicated and often subjective exercise where, in some ways, Francis’s work as General Counsel at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) is more straightforward. As the PPSC, Ontario Regional Office’s first Black female General Counsel, “my very presence challenges traditional norms and expands the definition of who belongs in positions of power and influence,” she says.

As for tackling systemic discrimination and racism within Canada’s justice system, Francis has spent most of her career, “advocating for policies that mitigate the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous individuals in the justice system and has led efforts to implement workplace policies that reflect equity, diversity and inclusion within the PPSC.” 

Long before Posyniak created her most overtly political piece, Lest We Forget, a haunting sculpture that lists the names and ages of 135 murdered Canadian women (it can be found at UCalgary’s Bennett Jones Law Library), she was an outspoken advocate. In her late ‘20s, after writing and performing several one-woman plays in Regina, CBC Radio discovered Posyniak and invited her to regularly comment on issues spanning abortion rights and access to birth control, to sexual harassment and domestic violence. 

As Posyniak mentioned earlier, melding activism with a full-time career was “incredibly challenging,” which is precisely why she suggests if you have a passion project and your career doesn’t align with it, consider volunteering with an organization that matches those interests.

“By offering impetus for dialogue and critique, art can disrupt conventions and provoke critical reflection in ways that go beyond conventional forms of advocacy.”

Laurel Johannesson, MFA’99

Find Your Voice and Use It

Whether it’s working in corporate administration or volunteering at The New Gallery, like she does, McKinnon maintains we can quicken the pace of change by, “strengthening and supporting the most vulnerable groups within our communities. When those groups are strengthened, that bolsters the entire community and benefits us all. 

“Oftentimes, the first steps are showing up with respect, listening and being willing to have your mind changed.”

Johannesson, who has worked in a variety of roles at AUArts for 25 years, agrees. “We can all take small, yet significant steps, such as amplifying marginalized voices, supporting female-identifying colleagues and challenging sexist behaviour in our everyday lives,” she explains, adding instructors can contribute to activism by teaching their students about human rights, climate change and other global issues. 

“Supporting organizations and creators who prioritize gender equality or through community activism can also accelerate progress. Educating oneself on issues and initiating conversations can create awareness and change.”

All the panellists agree that intersectional work is key to accelerating change.

No one knows when systems fail to recognize prejudice more acutely than Francis. Being Black and female, she says, symbolized, “breaking barriers and paving the way for others who aspire to leadership in the legal profession. This role provides me with a greater opportunity to inspire and mentor others, especially Black women and under-represented groups, showing that such achievements are possible.”

"This role provides me with a greater opportunity to inspire and mentor others, especially Black women and under-represented groups, showing that such achievements are possible.”

Althea Francis, BA’95, LLB’99

Drawing Inspiration: Heroes

Many see IWD as an inflection point, one that merits looking backward to remind us where we were, what we must avoid and how our predecessors managed in their own difficult circumstances. The Dig In! panellists were asked to name their heroes or mentors — someone who, through their lives, has given them a sense of hope or inspiration.

For Francis, one is Viola Desmond, “for her fight against racial segregation in Canada; and, in the U.S., it’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who championed gender equality and women’s rights and broke barriers in law and inspired countless legal professionals around the world.”

One of Johannesson’s heroes is the surrealist artist, Leonor Fini, “who challenged gender norms in her work, often portraying women as independent and unapologetically themselves. She rebelled against societal expectations — not only in her art, but also in how she lived her life. She refused to conform, and that defiance was an act of bravery and creativity.”

Whether you’re an artist, a lawyer, teacher, doctor or homemaker — if you’ve never had to worry about a social issue in your life, this Dig In! panel might wake you up. As the creed behind IWD reminds us, you can cause just as much harm by being silent, by not taking action. Injustice has no postal code.