I first heard the name Evelyn Potter at my first National Farmers Union Convention in Ottawa in 2009. It was the 40th Anniversary of the NFU.
Unfortunately, Evelyn was unable to attend in person as planned, but her written address was read to the convention as the NFU’s First Women’s President to mark this significant anniversary of our first convention as a National Farmers Union in 1969.
As a relatively new farmer, and one who had not grown up rurally, I was feeling intimidated as I entered this room of mentors and elders in agricultural work, co-operative movements, and social justice movements. As someone new to this world, and one that I had seen from the outside as a male-dominated livelihood, I was immediately welcomed by a fair representation of women, men, and youth farmers as I entered the convention floor.
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We in the NFU and the greater farm community were deeply saddened to hear of Evelyn’s passing recently. We wish to express sincere condolences to all of Evelyn’s friends, family and community. Evelyn will be remembered as a farmer, and also by many of us, as truly a revolutionary when it came to her work and positive impact on the lives of farm women, and others in our communities.
What I heard when Evelyn’s address was read that day of convention in Ottawa, was a powerful message to me as a young farmer on this new venture and life path, which has continued to have an impact on my practices and truthfully, my confidence, as I continue to work with the soil and other farmers and farm communities in our shared solidarity and struggle.
A woman with a gracious, friendly presence, Evelyn was also clearly determined, prescient and courageous in her leadership and defence of women’s rights.
Evelyn and other women farm leaders and grassroots organizers throughout history, have continually fought not only to obtain long-deserved recognition and equal rights for farmers, but for all rural women. They campaigned for matrimonial property rights for women, against violence and other forms of oppression.
They stood alongside urban and global women’s movements for issues from seed sovereignty to reproductive and parental rights. Evelyn and other NFU women have worked on breaking down barriers to women’s inclusion by pushing for childcare provision and other support to enable fair representation and equal recognition of the role and importance of female farmers in global food production.
In her 2009 address, Evelyn expressed that there was “a heated debate” around the women’s positions at the first convention of the NFU, which resulted in the addition of women’s and youth positions at the national board of the NFU, a decision that has really helped shape the organization and ensure participation and advocacy for women and youth farmers, as it should be.
I was reminded of this story recently as we debated and passed a motion at a regional level to strive for positions inclusive of all, balancing representation of genders, and diversity of farmers in Canada. This was hotly debated and amended on the floor before eventually passing, and has now become an important part in inclusion moving forward as an agricultural community. It did highlight the need still exists for pushing towards justice and equity for all farmers, regardless of gender, sexuality and race.
Humbled by the legacy of Evelyn and all of the strong, intelligent, thoughtful, and inclusive women working together in the NFU, Women’s Institutes and in all farm communities, we have a powerful history to learn from as we move forward in our 50th year.
As we face a continually challenging, and tumultuous time in political, social, and environmental realms, the current context for farmers, we will need to draw on the legacy of struggle and solidarity of Evelyn and others who have come before, as their history continues to be shared with generations of farmers to come. We will collectively strive to honour, share and emulate Evelyn Potter and others’ stories of organizing farmers for positive change that continue to impact and influence us today.
Coral Sproule farms near Perth, Ontario. She is currently the NFU Women’s vice-president, and has previously served as NFU president and NFU women’s president.
