What was once a dull, drab alley south of Jasper Avenue is now a vibrant, colourful space that celebrates Edmonton’s very own civil rights activist Lulu Anderson.
On May 12, 1922, Lulu Anderson was refused entry to the Metropolitan Theatre in Edmonton because she was Black. Anderson fought back by suing the theatre in a legal battle that lasted until Nov. 3, 1922, when the court eventually ruled against her.
But the case was groundbreaking and shows that Anderson was a trailblazer in the fight for racial equality, resisting racial segregation more than 20 years before other more well-known activists like Nova Scotia’s Viola Desmond or American Rosa Parks.
According to a Canadian Encyclopedia entry written by civil rights advocate Bashir Mohamed, there are incredibly limited records on Lulu Anderson or the case, as all case files for the period of 1921 to 1949 were destroyed in 1971.
In partnership with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, Mohamed was one of three involved in the block-long transformation; artists Jamelle Davis and Macha Abdallah were also a part of turning a typically uninspiring area into a beautiful public space that celebrates an important woman in the city’s history.
On top of celebrating an incredible woman, it’s a beautiful one block stretch that provides ample photo opportunity. So, grab some friends, your phone or camera and go check out the alley south of Jasper Avenue between 103 and 104 Streets.