Dear Friends,
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Message from the CEO
- Your Gift in Action: What does an Olympic gold medal have to do with human rights?
- Did you Know?: Your inside scoop on the Museum
- Donors Making a Difference: Marion Mills
- At the Museum:
Message from the CEO
Here at Friends we know a little something about vision. It was vision that allowed Izzy Asper to dream big, and see that Winnipeg was the perfect place to host a national museum for human rights. And it was your vision that lets you and thousands of other donors see that by working together you could build something bigger than yourselves and make an impact on the future. Vision is about seeing things that others do not, and sharing that perspective with the world.
The photographers in the Museum’s current Level 1 gallery exhibition are experts at sharing their views. Sight Unseen: International Photography by Blind Artists is the first major exhibition of work by acclaimed international blind photographers. It explores the idea that blind people can often see in ways that sighted people cannot, and celebrates the creative methods these artists use to convey their unique perspective to the world. The results are both beautiful and thought provoking.
Your donations help to outfit and maintain the Level 1 gallery space that makes exhibitions like Sight Unseen possible. Learning to see the world through the eyes of someone else is a gift. It is a crucial part of understanding that despite our differences, we are all alike-free and equal in dignity and rights. It took your vision to get us here, and it is vision that shows us where we are going next. It gives us the perception to imagine a new era of global human rights leadership, and the inspiration to share that message with others.
See you soon,
Diane Boyle,
CEO
Back to headlines
Your Gift in Action
The journey towards equal human rights is taking place close to home, and education is a key part of creating meaningful, lasting change.
When Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury won the Olympic gold medal for the 100-metre backstroke in 1992, he did not feel safe coming out publicly as a gay man. But in the days leading up to the games he told several close friends, and said their support was pivotal to his win. His experience inspired Mark to become an advocate for the rights of athletes of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
“It takes education to confront discrimination and create a world where everyone has the basic human right to be themselves,” Mark said while speaking at the Museum last year. “Sport is an important venue for raising awareness-and so is this museum.”
Your support allows visitors of all ages to experience a journey of human rights learning and discovery and be inspired to join upstanders like Mark in building a better, more equal world.
See Mark’s gold medal on display for only a few more weeks in the Museum’s ‘What are Human Rights’ gallery.
Did You Know…
Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2014?
Don’t miss your chance to see Malala Yousafzai’s school uniform, now on display in the Museum’s ‘Rights Today’ gallery along with Malala’s 2014 Nobel Peace Prize diploma, courtesy of the Yousafzai family.
Malala was 15 years old when a gunman boarded her school bus in Pakistan, asked for her by name, and shot her because of her defiant advocacy for girls’ education. The bloody uniform has become a powerful symbol for children and human rights defenders around the world.
“When I would go to school, I was wearing this uniform and the day I was attacked, I was wearing this uniform and I was fighting for my right to get education – so it’s very important to me,” Malala says in a video that plays in the Museum’s Rights Today gallery on Level 5. “Now I want to show it to children, to people all around the world that this is my right, it is the right of every child to go to school and this should not be neglected.”
Donors Making a Difference
It’s hard to know whether Marion Mills’ life took the direction it did in spite of her one-room elementary schoolhouse, or because of it. Education certainly became a cornerstone for the caring Saskatchewanian, and after completing her grade 12 education Marion moved to Winnipeg to obtain a teaching degree and eventually went on to receive a Master of Arts in Speech Pathology from Northwestern University in Illinois.
Never content to rest on her laurels, Marion felt strongly that all children had the right to a good education, and over decades of work in Winnipeg she helped hundreds of children with speech and hearing challenges get the help they needed to excel. Philanthropic by nature, she dedicated her life to giving back to the community around her. Whether through gifts to her nieces and nephews (transitioning from games and clothes to charitable donations in their names as they grew older) or through generous support of many local charities, Marion wanted to give back and support causes that had lasting value.
Marion chose to remember the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in life and in her will because she believed that education played a pivotal role in building a better world. Her generosity helps provide visitors young and old the inspiration and tools to make a difference in the lives of others, and leaves a legacy that will be felt for generations to come.
AT THE MUSEUM
People are saying…
How far would you travel to fulfill a promise?
Look who’s been visiting!
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi (right) and chief of staff Chima Nkemdirim with Museum CEO John Young (left)
![Tower photo[1]](https://friendsofcmhr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Tower-photo1-300x300.jpg)
Royal Bank of Canada staff from Toronto and Winnipeg
Upcoming Events
Empowering Women: Artisan Cooperatives That Transform Communities
Opening date: July 23, 2016
All over the world, women artisans are forming cooperatives to improve their quality of life by producing, managing and marketing their creations.
This July the Museum’s newest exhibition opens in the Level 6 “Expressions” gallery. Empowering Women explores how grassroots collaboration can advance human rights. Take a colourful and vibrant look into collectives currently empowering women all over the world to support their families, transform their communities and preserve their traditional arts.