Black Community Engagement Person of the Month – Rosemary Brown
Rosemary Brown was a pioneer for women of colour. Born in Jamaica in 1930 to a family of educated women, Rosemarie Brown moved to Canada in 1951[1] to study at McGill University, in Montreal[2]. She faced racism and discrimination when she studied at McGill university.
In the 1960s, she earned three university degrees, including a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of British Columbia. In this period, she became a Member of the BC Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On the 30th of August, 1972, she won the riding of Vancouver-Burrard and made history as the first Black woman to be elected to and to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, paving the way for the visible involvement of other Black women in Canada.
In 1975, she became the first Black woman in Canada to run for leadership of a federal party. She was re-elected thrice in provincial legislature and served until 1986. She would go on to have a 14-year career in provincial politics. Brown’s focus included improving the services provided to marginalized groups and communities, including women, the elderly, people living with disabilities, immigrants in Canada and the disadvantaged. As a result of Brown’s tenacity, in subsequent years, the province of British Columbia experienced a rise in the number of women who held offices of significance/importance.
After Brown retired from politics in 1988, she went on to teach women’s studies at Simon Fraser University. In 2004, a year after her death, the Rosemary Brown Award for Women was established. The annual award honours women or organizations promoting the values championed Rosemary Brown.
[1] Women and Gender Equality, Government of Canada, at https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/women-impact/politics/rosemary-brown.html (accessed December 1, 2025)
[2] Rosemary Brown Becomes the First Black Woman Elected in Canada. Operation Vote Black Canada, at https://obvc.ca/story/rosemary-brown-becomes-the-first-black-woman-elected-in-canada/
References
BC Black History Awareness Society, at https://bcblackhistory.ca/rosemary-brown/
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia – Rosemary Brown. https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn/watv/biographies/rosemary-brown
Rosemary Brown Becomes the First Black Woman Elected in Canada. Operation Vote Black Canada, at https://obvc.ca/story/rosemary-brown-becomes-the-first-black-woman-elected-in-canada/
Women and Gender Equality, Government of Canada, at https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/women-impact/politics/rosemary-brown.html (accessed December 1, 2025)
Women in Canadian History: Rosemary Brown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_APUcDKSmw