In 1929, that’s what Canadian women were being told over and over again – they were not considered persons under the law.

Five women, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby came together, a group of suffragists met for tea and a courageous conversation.

Together, they asked, “Are women ‘persons’ under the British North America Act?”

The Supreme Court of Canada said “No.”

They kept going.

They appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the highest court of the British Empire) and on October 18, 1929, the answer changed the course of history:

“Yes. Women are persons.”

It was a decision that would affect women in Canada and all other commonwealth countries, to this day.

Yet, the same battle for legal personhood is still true for some people.

Many are still marginalized, still excluded, still not seen as equal, under the law, in our institutions, and in everyday society. The fight the Famous 5 began is not simply a story from 1929; it is the story of a dramatic legal precedence that still opens doors for marginalized communities today.

It is because they dared, we can uplift women and Canadians from all backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, sexualities, and more, so they too can lead, vote, and break barriers.