McQueen Fergusson Left Her Mark on Domestic Violence Community

Cindy Sheppard
Caring matters
Published Thursday March 20th, 2008
Appeared on page C8

Be confident; don't let them get you down. Lack of confidence is the greatest problem women have to contend with."

Such were the words of Muriel McQueen Fergusson, a pioneer for women's rights and social change in New Brunswick and throughout Canada. McQueen Fergusson was born in 1899 and entered the male-dominated world of law long before it was an equal-opportunity career choice. She went on to become the first woman senator from the Atlantic region and the first female speaker of the Senate. In 1995, the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation was established to recognize her contributions to social justice for women.

For those who are not aware, the foundation and the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research are housed at the University of New Brunswick. Both centre and foundation are committed to prevent and eliminate family violence. Part of their mandate is to research the root causes and the societal impacts of family violence, not only on the family unit, but on the community and society in general. This research is helping those in situations of physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual and financial abuse.

The foundation has been in existence more than 20 years and in that time has maintained its goal of eradicating family violence. The foundation has developed initiatives to support that mandate, one being the MMFF Award, created in 1992 to recognize outstanding contributions toward preventing and eliminating family violence in Canada. To nominate someone for this award, check the foundation website, www.mmff.ca, for details. The deadline for nominations is March 21.

The foundation also offers a grant of up to $3,000 a year for a non-profit agency with the goal of researching, educating or intervening in family violence.

The Provincial Caring Partnerships network was formed to reach into smaller communities. The group meets to network, share best practices and enhance public awareness of the issues in their communities. Check the partnership's website, www.violencepreventionnb.org, for more details.

The Silent Witness Project remembers women who were victims of domestic homicide in New Brunswick. Ours is the only province to have adopted this project. Large red, wooden silhouettes are created to honour women who have lost their lives at the hands of partners. This is a very moving representation of the ultimate impact family violence has and of the need to help women and their families who are victims of domestic violence. More information on this project is available at the centre at 506-453-3595.

Talking about family violence often makes people uncomfortable. However, the impact on not just the woman or child, but on the entire community must be considered. It must also be considered, that violence is not limited to physical contact. Some women do not have freedom to make their own choices about money, clothing, friends and social activities.

If you would like more information on how you can become involved in the fight against family violence in our community, our province and our country, contact the foundation or the centre. This is not a woman's issue; it's a societal issue - and we should all be concerned.

Cindy Sheppard is the executive director of the Fredericton Community Foundation. Her column profiling Fredericton's non-profit agencies appears Thursdays. Please send comments to letters@dailygleaner.com.