Yvonne Atwell (born 1943) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

community activist, former provincial politician and former hospital administrator. She is known for being the first Black woman elected to the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

Early life and education

Yvonne Atwell was born in East Preston, Nova Scotia, in 1943. She left the province seeking work opportunities elsewhere. She studied at Centennial College in Ontario and at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

in Nova Scotia.

Career

Atwell worked for 20 years as an administrator at Mount Sinai Hospital in

Toronto, Ontario 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 ...

, eventually rising to the position of Head of Patient Services. She returned to Nova Scotia in 1984. From 1993-98 she was the first Managing Director of the African-Canadian Employment Clinic in Halifax. In 1996, Atwell ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of the

Nova Scotia New Democratic Party The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a social-democratic, progressive provincial party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the provincial entity of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). It was founded as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (C ...

. She won a seat in the

in 1998 for the riding of Preston, becoming the first Black woman MLA in the province. She represented the district until the 1999 provincial election when she lost her seat to

David Hendsbee David Hendsbee (born April 9, 1960) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Preston in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. Today he s ...

. During her term in office she served as the Opposition Critic for Status of Women, and Business Consumer Services. Between 1999-2004, Atwell worked as Policy Advisor and Diversity Officer at the Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women's Health,

. Atwell has also been Executive Director o
Community Justice Society
Executive Director of the

Black United Front Black United Front also known as The Black United Front of Nova Scotia or simply BUF was a Black nationalist organization primarily based in Halifax, Nova Scotia during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Preceded by the Nova Scotia ...

, President of the African Canadian Caucus of Nova Scotia, Chair of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative at the

Schulich School of Law , mottoeng = "Law is the source of light" , endowment = , staff = , faculty = 119 , dean = Camille Cameron , head_label = , head = , doctoral = , students = 500 , city ...

, a member of the Metropolitan Board of Trade's small business committee, a member of the George Washington Carver Credit Union executive board, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants.

Honours and legacy

In 2002, Atwell was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

for her contributions to public life. In 2004, Atwell was inducted to the Rev Dr William Pearly Oliver Wall of Honour by th
Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia
On March 1, 2020, the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party renamed their Diversity Fund to be called the Yvonne Atwell Diversity in Leadership Fund in recognition of "Yvonne Atwell's leadership in the legislature and her consistent encouragement of candidates with diverse backgrounds to seek public office". On February 22, 2022, a portrait of Atwell was unveiled at Province House in Halifax to honour her and commemorate her historic role as the first Black woman to be elected in Nova Scotia. Her portrait is displayed in the Province House lobby alongside the portraits of former premiers of Nova Scotia.

References

Williams, Dawn ''Who's who in Black Canada 2: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada : a Contemporary Directory'' (2006)

Yvonne Atwell, ''Women Social Activists of Atlantic Canada''
University of New Brunswick {{DEFAULTSORT:Atwell, Yvonne 1943 births Living people Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MLAs Black Nova Scotians People from the Halifax Regional Municipality Women MLAs in Nova Scotia Black Canadian politicians Black Canadian women