Alcenya Crowley (April 3, 1926 – September 12, 2010), born Alcenya McElwain, was an American-born Canadian

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Early life and education

Alcenya McElwain was born in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, the daughter of William McElwain. She was educated at the Minneapolis School of Business. She later studied marketing at

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

and earned a degree in political science from

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Career

Crowley worked in a law office, in an accountant's office, at the Metropolitan Children's Aid Society, and then as a secretary for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. She later taught business for the Toronto District School Board, retiring in 1991. Crowley joined the Canadian Negro Women's Association (CANEWA), later the

Congress of Black Women of Canada The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) / , which began in 1973, is a national non-profit organization that "is dedicated to improving the lives of all Black women and their families in their local and national communities." It arose to organi ...

. She served as vice-president from 1957 to 1958 and as president from 1959 to 1960. She chaired CANEWA's first Calypso Carnival, drawing on the cultures of the organization's Caribbean-born members. She represented CANEWA at the funeral of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Personal life

She married a Canadian podiatrist, William Richard "Buddy" Crowley, in 1951, and moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

with him. Crowley was widowed when her husband died in 1963; she died in

Credit Valley Hospital Credit Valley Hospital is a regional hospital located in Mississauga, Ontario. Officially opened on November 5, 1985, it is now part of the Trillium Health Partners hospital group and primarily serves the communities of north Mississauga: Street ...

in 2010, at the age of 84.

References

External links

* * Funké Omotunde Aladejebi
"'Girl You Better Apply to Teachers’ College': The History of Black Women Educators in Ontario, 1940s –1980s"
(Ph.D. dissertation, York University 2016). {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowley, Alcenya 1926 births 2010 deaths Canadian schoolteachers Black Canadian women Canadian civil rights activists Women civil rights activists American emigrants to Canada Toronto Metropolitan University alumni York University alumni Black Canadian activists