Canada’s First Woman Labour Poet
Marie Joussaye Fotheringham (1864-1949) was born in Belleville, Ontario. During the 1890s she became involved in Toronto’s labour movement as a poet and later as President of the Working Girls’ Union. This activism played a key role in her organization of female domestic servants — the most common form of paid employment for Canadian women before 1900 — into the Working Women’s Protective Association. One of her campaigns was for Sunday streetcars!
Fotheringham is also considered to be Canada’s first female working-class poet. In her book The Songs That Quinte Sang, you can find her most famous piece, Only A Working Girl. The poem compares the working class to royalty in the eye of God and calls for women to be proud of the work they are doing. Below is the first stanza of her poem.
Only A Working Girl
I know I am only a working girl,
And I am not ashamed to say
I belong to the ranks of those who toil
For a living, day by day.
With willing feet I press along
In the paths that I must tread,
Proud that I have the strength and skill
To earn my daily bread.
Get involved
- Read Fotheringham’s book The Songs That Quinte Sang over at WikiSource — it’s in the public domain.
- Commit to advocating for gender equity and women’s rights at work by signing the Canadian Labour Congress’ Pledge to be a Gender Justice Champion at work.
- Become a steward! Contact your local executive to find out more.