Virnetta Anderson, the first Black person elected to Calgary City Council
Virnetta Anderson was elected to Calgary City Council in 1974
as the city's first Black municipal councillor
Virnetta Anderson. Photo from YW Calgary.
Virnetta Anderson was an American-Canadian community activist and politician, who was elected to Calgary City Council in 1974 as the city's first Black municipal councillor.
Born in 1920 in Monticello, Arkansas and raised in Hot Springs, Virnetta Anderson moved to Calgary in 1952 when her husband, Ezzrett “Sugarfoot” Anderson, was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders. One of the first Black players in professional football, Ezzrett was the only player to wear “00” for the Stampeders. He retired in 1955 and went on to become a mechanic, while Virnetta moved towards politics.
Photo from The Calgary Herald: "Virnetta Anderson: A deeply-caring woman of wit and humanity". February 19, 2006.
Anderson was deeply involved in church and community service in Calgary. She served in many roles within the United Church, was a member of the Mount Royal College Ladies’ Auxiliary, co-founded and became president for Meals on Wheels, and volunteered as a board member for several organizations, including the United Way, Calgary Tourist and Convention Association and the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts.
Anderson was elected to Calgary's city council in October of 1974. According to a City of Calgary news release, Anderson was 54 when she decided to challenge the male-dominated city council and put her name forward on a ballot as a candidate for Alderman. The newspapers and the election ballot reported her as just a “housewife” among businessmen. Anderson went on to win the election and serve as Alderman for Ward 3 on City Council for the next three years.
Official photo from the Municipal Manual in 1974. Photographer: Mathieson Photo Service Ltd. Photo from the City of Calgary Archives.
Her projects as a city councillor included a fact-finding mission to Germany to research innovations in public transit as part of the early development of the city's CTrain system, serving on the committee that conducted the original feasibility study on the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts, and opposing the extension of Sarcee Trail across the Weaselhead Flats.
“Aldermanic Luncheon held as part of the 1984 Centennial Celebration.” Photo from the City of Calgary Archives.
Following her time on city council, Anderson was appointed to the Citizen Advisory Committee by then-mayor Ralph Klein, was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Calgary Rotary Club in 1988.
Her family describe her as “a warm and loving woman of faith - full of wit and character: honourable, elegant and stylish. Her social and oratorical skills bore a distinct stamp of southern charm. She was a woman of action - known for committing time and providing leadership to get things done. “V”, as many old friends called her, was celebrated in the community for her many years as a tireless and enthusiastic volunteer, leader, and colourful contributor to her adopted city. Though her roots were in the US, she came to love the foothills of Alberta.”
“Last trolley bus run, #422 on May 8, 1975, with Alderman Virnetta Anderson and trolley operator Ted Kendrick. Photo from the City of Calgary Archives.
In September of 2020, a City of Calgary news release announced that with the completion of the four-year heritage rehabilitation of Historic City Hall, the Calgary Power Reception Hall (CPRH) is reverting to its original home in the 109-year-old building. With this change, the temporary CPRH located in the Municipal Building will be renamed the Virnetta Anderson Hall, honouring the first Black person elected to Calgary City Council, and the legacy she left for our city.
Photo from The Calgary Herald: "Virnetta Anderson: A deeply-caring woman of wit and humanity". February 19, 2006.
Sources:
Sean Myers, "Virnetta Anderson: A deeply-caring woman of wit and humanity". Calgary Herald, February 19, 2006
City of Calgary Newsroom: Virnetta Anderson Hall. September 15, 2020.
Global News: Calgary’s 1st Black city council member to be honoured in municipal building. September 15, 2020.
The Andersons: Virnetta Anderson, 1920 - 2006.