Muriel Duckworth | |
|---|---|
 Portrait commissioned in honour of Duckworth's 100th birthday | |
| Born | Muriel Helen Ball October 31, 1908 Austin, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | August 22, 2009 (aged 100) Magog, Quebec, Canada |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Social activist |
| Years active | 1925–2009 |
| Political party | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation New Democratic Party |
| Spouse |
Jack Duckworth
(m. 1929; died 1975) |
| Children | 3, including Martin and Eleanor |
Muriel Helen Duckworth CM ONS (née Ball; October 31, 1908 – August 22, 2009) was a Canadian pacifist, feminist, and social and community activist.[1] She was a practising Quaker, a religious denomination committed to non-violence.[2] Duckworth maintained that war, with its systematic violence against women and children, is a major obstacle to social justice. She argued that money spent on armaments perpetuates poverty while reinforcing the power of privileged elites.[3] She believed that "war is stupid" and she steadfastly refused to accept popular distinctions between "good" and "bad" wars.[4]
Duckworth was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace, a provincial branch of the national peace organization called the Voice of Women (VOW).[5] From 1967 to 1971, she served as president of VOW leading protests against the Canadian government's quiet support for the US-led war in Vietnam.[6]
Duckworth was the first woman in Halifax to run for a seat in the Nova Scotia legislature.[7] She also led community organizing efforts seeking improvements in education, housing, social assistance and municipal planning.[8] In her later years, Duckworth performed with the Halifax chapter of the Raging Grannies, a group that composes and sings satirical ballads promoting social justice.[9]
Duckworth received many honours and awards including the 1981 Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case and the Order of Canada in 1983.[10] In 1991, she received the Pearson Medal of Peace.[11] She was also granted 10 honorary university degrees.[12]
- ^ Kerans, Marion Douglas. (1996) Muriel Duckworth: A Very Active Pacifist. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, p. 13.
- ^ Kerans, p. 232.
- ^ Kerans, pp. 182, 194 & 202.
- ^ Moore, Oliver. Obituary: Muriel Duckworth, 100 Globe and Mail August 22, 2009.
- ^ Kerans, p. 90.
- ^ Kerans, pp. 97 & 110.
- ^ Kerans, p. 170.
- ^ Kerans, p. 162.
- ^ Lightstone, Michael. "Peace activist dies". The Chronicle Herald, August 23, 2009.
- ^ "Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ Kerans, p. 226.
- ^ Kerans, pp. 226 & 228.