Rise Up! Feminist Digital Archive
A Digital Archive of Feminist Activism
Taking place in June 1973, The Feminist Symposium was the first national women’s conference held in Montreal. The symposium explored women’s rights and the social and political spheres of their lives. Feminists, social activists, and community workers such as Selma James and Anne Cools organized and participated in the event.
Adapted from a press release issued by The Committee for The Feminist Symposium
In June 1973 a group of Montreal women held the city’s first national conference on women, The Feminist Symposium, to further discussion on the Question of Women, their rights, and their relationships to the social and political spheres of life. Chaired by Anne Cools, the theme of the symposium was “A Change Is About To Come”.
The keynote speaker on opening night was Selma James, who addressed the topic “Revolutionary Feminism and the Kitchen”. On Saturday and Sunday, panels and workshops looked at “Women in the First Person”, “Medicine: A Social Issue”, “The Educational Impasse”, “The Labour Force”, and “Law and Human Rights”. Simultaneous translation into French was provided.
