Pat Schulz
Pat Schulz was a notable Canadian activist and socialist, born on August 17, 1934. Originally joining the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) at age eighteen, she was later expelled for her involvement with the far-left Revolutionary Workers Party, aligned with Trotskyist principles. Schulz made significant contributions to social justice, including desegregating a dance hall in Toronto in 1955 and advocating for women's reproductive rights as part of her feminist activism. She was involved in the Socialist Education League and helped launch the Canadian edition of the Marxist newspaper Workers Vanguard, later organizing subscription sales with an all-women team known as "The Trailblazers."
Throughout her life, Schulz emphasized the importance of childcare and education in feminist politics, arguing for a broader focus beyond just abortion rights. After leaving the League for Socialist Action in 1974, she dedicated herself to community organizing, establishing childcare programs while pursuing a master’s degree in Canadian history, which included her published thesis on class organizing during the Great Depression. Schulz passed away from cancer in December 1983, but her legacy endures through initiatives like the Pat Schulz Memorial Fund and the Pat Schulz Child Care Centre, which reflect her commitment to social equity and women's rights. Her life inspired a documentary titled "Worth Every Minute," celebrating her impact on Canadian society.
Pat Schulz
Activist and labor organizer
- Born: August 17, 1934
- Birthplace: Canada
- Died: December 12, 1983
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Significance: Patricia Vanderbelt Schulz was a Canadian socialist and feminist organizer who dedicated her life to advocating for women’s rights and gender equality. Schulz was a founding member of Action Daycare (now known as the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care) and a prominent spokesperson for the childcare movement.
Background
Pat Schulz was born on August 17, 1934, in Canada. She joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1952, at age eighteen. The CCF was a democratic socialist political party founded in 1932 (succeeded in 1961 by the New Democratic Party). She was soon drawn to the far-left wing of the party known as the Revolutionary Workers Party, which was organized around the principles of the Trotskyist movement known as the Fourth International. As a result of her affiliation to that party, Schulz was expelled from the CCF, along with all other Trotskyist members, in 1954.
Life’s Work
Schulz accomplished a large amount of work in her short life (she would die from cancer at the age of 49). From 1954 to 1974, she was a member of the Socialist Education League and the League for Socialist Action-Ligue Socialiste Ouvriere (LSA-LSO). The LSA-LSO was one of the predecessor organizations of the Revolutionary Workers League (RWL). In 1955, Schulz helped to launch the Canadian edition of Workers Vanguard, a Marxist newspaper that covered topics such as labor laws and union organizing. In 1964, Schulz was part of an all-women team that traveled throughout Ontario in a truck selling subscriptions to Workers Vanguard. They became known as “The Trailblazers” and they went to auto plants, factories, and homes selling the newspaper. Schulz described the experience in an edition of Workers Vanguard: “Selling subscriptions door-to-door is quite an experience. The most devastating reply... is one from so many housewives: ‘You’ll have to ask my husband.’ I wish I could believe this is just a buck-passing device... but I’m sure it really is the situation for many women.”
In 1971, the LSA-LSO began to focus its strategies on repealing Canada’s anti-abortion laws. This became the primary focus of its work in the nascent feminist movement in the country. While Schulz supported abortion access for all women, she argued strongly for childcare as an imperative leg of a truly feminist political platform. During the 1973 LSA-LSO pre-convention discussion, Schulz argued for downplaying the abortion rights campaign in favor of a broader strategy that would emphasize labor issues and the promotion of comprehensive childcare.
Disappointed with the direction the LSA-LSO was taking, Schulz finally left the party in February 1974. She and her daughter—whom she was raising on her own as a single mom after the death of her partner—moved to a Toronto housing project. After meeting several other mothers at the Campus Community Co-operative Daycare, Schulz and others organized a hot breakfast and lunch program and a childcare center for children from infant to elementary-school age at the Duke of York School.
During this time period, Schulz was enrolled in graduate school, working on a master’s degree. She received her degree from York University in Canadian History in 1975. Her thesis, The East York Worker’s Association, was published by New Hogtown Press the same year. The book is one of few to explore historical accounts of class organizing during the Great Depression in Canada.
In 1976, Schulz and her daughter moved to Bain Co-op Apartments in the Riverdale neighborhood of Toronto. Schulz continued to organize childcare in the community although the last few years of her life were marked by a twelve-year illness from cancer. Schulz died of cancer in December of 1983. Following her death, the National Film Board of Canada produced a documentary about her life’s work called Worth Every Minute.
Impact
Schulz’s work has left a lasting impact on Canadian society, changing many ideas about women’s roles, workers’ rights, and reproductive options. The Pat Schulz Memorial Fund was set up in December 1983 to honor her activism and advocacy. The money raised funded a neighborhood resource center that acted as a strong community hub that served the needs of children and their families through a well-coordinated system of community care programs.
Schulz recognized the significance of education in promoting gender equality and challenging traditional gender roles. She pushed to integrate feminist perspectives into educational curricula, ensuring that women’s contributions and experiences were included in academic materials at a time when they were sometimes overlooked. Schulz’s advocacy in this area contributed to the development of a more inclusive and gender-sensitive education system in Canada. The Pat Schulz Child Care Centre, founded in 1989 and located in Toronto, is named in her honor.
Personal Life
Schulz had one daughter named Katheryne with Peter Schulz. Known as her “companion and comrade,” Peter died in 1970 in a car accident. Along with attending protests and rallies at a young age, Katheryne traveled to communist Cuba with her mother in 1983. When Schulz died, her best friend and fellow Canadian feminist activist Catherine Macleod became Katheryne’s guardian (Macleod was also co-director of the documentary film Worth Every Minute about Schulz). When Katheryne attended Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro’s funeral in 2016 she laid a wreath at his memorial on behalf of her mother.
Bibliography
Angus, Ian. “Pat Schulz: Revolutionary Socialist.” Socialist History Project, Apr. 2007, socialisthistory.ca/Docs/History/EY/EastYork0.htm. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
“Campaigning for Child Care.” Rise Up! Feminist Archive, riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/issues-actions/child-care/. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
Colley, Sue and Chris Judge, Eli Kirzner, Julie Mathien, Ev McKee. “Reminiscences of Pat Schulz and the Daycare Scene.” Mudpie, 1984, riseuparchive.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/patschulz-mudpie-toronto-1983-ocr.pdf. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
Jones, Monica. “Pat Schulz, 1934-1983.” Socialist Voice, 13 Feb. 1984, socialisthistory.ca/Remember/Profiles/SchulzPat.htm. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
Macleod, Catherine and Lorraine Segato, “Worth Every Minute,” National Film Board of Canada, 1987, nfb.ca/film/worth‗every‗minute/. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
Schulz, Katheryne. “Report from Santiago de Cuba: Celebrating Fidel’s Rebellious Life.”John Riddell.com, 19 Dec. 2016, johnriddell.com/2016/12/09/report-from-santiago-de-cuba-celebrating-fidels-rebellious-life/. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.
“Who was Pat Schulz.” Pat Schulz Child Care Centre, patschulzccc.com/pat-schulz. Accessed 5 Jul. 2023.