Black History Month: The legacy of Virnetta Anderson, Calgary's first Black city councillor
CBC
February is Black History Month, and we recognize it by celebrating the contributions that Black Canadians have made to Canada's history and culture.
CBC Calgary is highlighting the legacies of three Black Calgarians who broke barriers, changed the city's history and influenced its present.
This story was originally published on Feb. 24, 2021.
When American-Canadian activist and politician Virnetta Anderson was elected to city council in 1974, she became Calgary's first Black municipal councillor.
And according to Barry Anderson, Virnetta's youngest son, the work reflected a fundamental aspect of her personality: a commitment to public service that can be traced throughout the entirety of her life.
"I think one of the reasons people still seem to recognize her and celebrate her today, after all these years, is that she brought that sense of service and community commitment to politics," Barry said.
"She had the heart of a volunteer and she wanted to serve the community. She was not naive in any way, in that she knew what politics was all about. And she was able to play that game as good as anybody could.
"But she did it from kind of a point of integrity and authenticity."
Born in Monticello, Arkansas, in 1920, Virnetta moved from Los Angeles to Calgary in 1952 after her husband, Ezzrett (Sugarfoot) Anderson, was signed to play with the Stampeders in the Canadian Football League.
In Alberta, the weather was colder but the prairie hospitality was warm, Barry said, and Virnetta soon became involved in the community and the United Church.
"Even as she kind of grew her base of supporters and friends and influencers, it was still all during a time when women were thought of as supporting the man. And for many years, she raised the family, was Sugarfoot's wife," Barry said.
But Virnetta was energetic, sharp and committed to contributing to her community, Barry said.
She would be encouraged by her friends, and people she had met through years of volunteer work, to run for a city council seat.
And in 1974, more than 20 years after moving to Calgary, Virnetta threw her hat into the political ring — and won.
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