Yesterday's women's movement, today's national memory

The past informs the present. As hard-won civil and reproductive rights face renewed threats, records of historical struggles serve as blueprints for action, reminding us that history is not just something to study but something to carry forward.

One such record is the , held at the 91��Ʒ��ϳԹ� Library Archives and Special Collections. It’s been recognized as part of this country’s national memory with its entry in The collection is a living record of women’s resistance, solidarity and progress, a testament to battles fought and victories won by women across Canada. Yet, it does more than preserve history—it shines light on the present and provides lessons for battles still to come.

Pascale Dangoisse, part-time professor at 91��Ʒ��ϳԹ�, remembers the first time she set foot in the Archives and Special Collections to use the CWMA collection as a research assistant. History felt tangible—not just words in a book, but handwritten letters bearing witness to lived experience, protest banners that had once been lifted high in the streets and voices of activists captured in old recordings. She felt something shift. “For me, the archives were a breath of fresh air,” she recalls. “The archives helped me understand that I was not alone, that others before me had faced similar struggles, and that change was possible through collective action.”

“The archives helped me understand that I was not alone, that others before me had faced similar struggles, and that change was possible through collective action.”

Pascale Dangoisse

— Part-time professor at the University of Ottawa

A living record of feminist struggles

One of the most striking aspects of the collection is how it reveals patterns of activism that are still relevant today. The collection documents the fight for employment equity—it contains letters, policy proposals and testimonies from women demanding fair wages and an end to workplace discrimination.

The CWMA collection also houses records of the campaigns to legalize abortion, the organizing around contraception access and the grassroots efforts to support women in making choices about their own bodies.

For 91��Ʒ��ϳԹ� professor Christabelle Sethna, these records have been instrumental in her work on reproductive justice. “This collection is a treasure trove of primary sources pertaining to the history of the women's movements in Canada. It has helped me in the past, continues to help me in the present and will help me in the future whenever I do my own research.”

“This collection is a treasure trove of primary sources pertaining to the history of the women's movements in Canada.”

Christabelle Sethna

— Professor at the University of Ottawa

From protest to programming: Feminism and AI-based research

The collection tells a larger story—one of solidarity, networks and sisterhood. Women of different provinces and backgrounds united in common struggles, building coalitions that spanned generations. Sisterhood and support were not just slogans—they were the foundation of change. They show that collective action was, and remains, the key to progress.

Activism was not just about changing policies—it was about changing individuals. “The collection captures the personal impact of activism: women finding their voices, developing leadership skills and reshaping their identities through the movements,” says Sethna.

This legacy of empowerment extends beyond activism. Dangoisse, for example, uses the CWMA collection in her research on artificial intelligence under the supervision of Professor Constance Crompton at the

Analyzing historical feminist materials, Dangoisse helps build computational languages that better reflect the complexity of human identities—challenging the rigid categories often imposed by AI systems and binary computational languages. “Computers tend to categorize people into fixed identities—man or woman, White or Black. But the CWMA collection show us that identities are fluid, shaped by historical and social contexts. My research uses its records to develop AI that better understands human complexity.”

This unexpected connection between activism and AI-based research shows how the past does not remain static in the archives. The feminist strategies, debates and challenges preserved in the CWMA collection inform the tools we build and the biases we must dismantle.

A shared responsibility to remember

The CWMA collection offers direct, unfiltered access to the energy and diversity of feminist activism through newspapers, pamphlets, posters, banners, buttons and sound recordings of women strategizing, debating and mobilizing. These materials document the evolution of feminist movements, offering an intimate, first-hand look into history.

But this material is more than just history—it’s a call to action. As you explore the CWMA collection in person or online through the , running your fingers (or your cursor) over the pages of a feminist newsletter or listening to the determined voices of activists recorded decades ago, you aren’t just looking at the past—you’re standing in a space where history continues to speak, urging you to listen, learn and act.

Thanks to Christabelle Sethna, Pascale Dangoisse, the staff at the Archives and Special Collections, and the former CWMA archivists (including Nancy Adamson) for their participation.

About the CWMA

The CWMA was formed in1982 by the Women’s Information Centre Collective of Toronto. The collective donated the material it had accumulated to the 91��Ʒ��ϳԹ� Library Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) in 1992. Since its arrival at the ARCS, the CWMA collection has spurred the development of the current Women's Archives Collection. The CWMA is the first collection in a now-extensive corpus of more than 196 archival fonds from organizations and individuals who have contributed to the advancement of women in Canada and around the world.