Faces Of Inspirational Women Are Appearing All Over This Busy Toronto Street & Here's Why
A stroll in the city just became more educational.
A vacant storefront on Yonge Street showcasing the HerStory campaign.
Have you walked down Yonge Street recently and noticed some vacant storefronts covered in posters of women?
Well, it's because the city of Toronto is trying to break the bias and showcase women in a new light, as an extension of the HerStory campaign.
The HerStory campaign, launched by the Toronto History Museums, first started in March as part of Women's History Month to celebrate the inspirational women that helped shape Toronto.
Now, the Toronto History Museums and the Downtown Yonge BIA have partnered to fill up the "empty storefronts [that] sat there for months" due to the number of businesses that closed down during the pandemic.
"The window displays provide a tidbit of history that we hope would inspire people to read more and understand how the past shaped out today and also guide us into the future," a Downtown Yonge BIA spokesperson told Narcity.
A representative from the city of Toronto told Narcity that "Toronto History Museums' HerStory content pays tribute to incredible women whose talents, skills, determination and perseverance have woven together a more equitable future for all."
Today, walking down Yonge Street can mean reading and appreciating the women that helped create the 6ix.
Some of the women featured include Jean Lumb, "the first Chinese Canadian woman, and first restaurateur, inducted into the Order of Canada." Jean Lumb Lane in West Chinatown was named after her.
Another woman activist that will be recognized on the streets of Toronto is Verna Patronella Johnston. She is "an Anishinaabe author, activist, mother, grandmother, and mentor to youth and her community." Johnston started a boarding house where she sheltered Indigenous youth in Toronto.
Salome Bey, a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actor, also known as "Canada's First Lady of Jazz and Blues," is being honoured on Yonge Street as well. Other women to keep an eye out for include E. Pauline Johnson and Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
The stories and images of these incredible women can be found at 312, 401, 431, and 475 Yonge Street and will be up until the end of April.
Also, if the information on the windows isn't enough and you'd like to learn more, you can scan the QR codes and delve into the details further.