Violet Pauline King Henry (born October 18, 1929, in Calgary and died March 30, 1982, in Chicago) | Black History Month | Seneca Students

Image illustrated by Veronica Rojas Marquez, Fashion Arts advanced diploma student. Instagram: @veronicarojasm.

Violet Pauline King Henry is known not just for being the first Black graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law but also for becoming the first Black woman to practice law in Canada (Violet Henry King, 2022). She was also the first Black lawyer admitted to the Law Society of Alberta. As a lawyer in Calgary, alongside her work she gave many public speeches about racism and the challenges facing women in the work force. Eventually she moved to New Jersey to work for the YMCA and in 1976 where she was appointed Executive Director of the national Council of YMCA’s Organizational Development Group — the first woman named to a senior management position with the American national YMCA. In 1998, she was inducted into the National YMCA Hall of Fame. “King shattered glass ceilings and broke down colour barriers to pave the way for future generations. Her hard work and drive to excel in all facets of her career are an inspiration for those who also aspire to do great things in their field” (Ruck, 2017, para. 21).

Reference

Ruck, L. (2017). Violet King. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/violet-king

Violet King Henry. (2022, February 4). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_King_Henry