It is #ItalianHeritageMonth and this is the story of Angelina Napolitano, who brought domestic abuse to national awareness

Napolitano was born in Naples, Italy on March 12, 1882 & came to Canada in 1909 with her husband Pietro, settling in Sault Ste. Marie.

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The couple had four children but the marriage was abusive. Pietro often hit and threatened Angelino. In November 1910, he stabbed her nine times in the face, neck, shoulder, chest & arms with a pocket knife. He was charged but received a suspended sentence.

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In the winter of 1910-11, Pietro started to pressure Angelina to earn money through prostitution.
On April 16, 1911, while she was six months pregnant, Pietro told her to go out and prostitute herself or he would kill her.
He said she had until he woke up to earn money.

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As he slept, she took an axe and hit him four times in the head, killing him. She then went to her neighbour and said "I just killed a pig"
She waited for the police to arrive as she held her youngest child.
She was put on trial on May 9, 1911. The trial lasted 3 hours.

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Her lawyer was the first to use the "battered woman defense" but the judge said it was inadmissible evidence.
The jury returned a guilty verdict & asked for clemency. Instead, the judge sentenced her to death. Her execution date was set for Aug. 9.

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Her execution date was one month after the due date for her baby.
The media coverage of her story was typically racist, calling her a hot-blooded foreigner.
The public saw her differently, and someone who had suffered in her marriage. Public outcry hit a fever pitch.

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Sir Allen Aylesworth, the federal Minister of Justice received many letters and petitions asking for clemency.
On July 14, 1911, her sentence was commuted. She served 11 years in Kingston & upon her parole, lived a quiet life until she died on Sept. 4, 1932.

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More from @CraigBaird

Jun 12
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of The Body Politic, Canada's first major LGBTQ publication.

The 1st edition of the magazine was published on Nov. 1, 1971 by a collective of individuals, out of the home of Jearld Moldenhauer, the owner of the Glad Day Bookshop.

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In 1973, the Toronto Star refused to print an advertisement for the magazine, stating it did not accept ads related to sexual activity.
The magazine went to the Ontario Press Council & won a ruling that the refusal was discriminatory.

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The Toronto Star retaliated to the ruling by ending the printing contract for The Body Politic with the Star's printing subsidiary Newsweb Enterprises.
In 1977, Toronto Police seized the subscriber list for the magazine during a raid.

🧵3/4 Image
Read 4 tweets
Jun 11
It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Mistahi-maskwa, also known as Big Bear.

Big Bear was born around 1825 near Jackfish Lake in present-day Saskatchewan. His father was a minor chief of 80 Cree-Saulteaux people & a large influence of Big Bear.

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As a young man, Big Bear was a great warrior & he became chief upon his father's death in 1864.
In 1870, he led the Cree into battle at the Battle of Belly River, in present-day Lethbridge, which is the last battle fought between First Nations in Canada.

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In 1876, all the major Plains Cree chiefs had signed Treaty 6 except Big Bear. He attempted to warn them against signing, believing the government would not fulfill its promises.
He was left with no choice but to sign in 1882 due to the starvation of his people.

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Read 5 tweets
Jun 11
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Michelle Douglas, who legally challenged the LGBTQ discriminatory policies in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Michelle Douglas was born in Ottawa in 1963 & after studying law, she joined the Canadian Forces in 1986.

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She soon became the first woman promoted to the Special Investigations Unit.
In 1989, despite her excellent service record, she was released from the Forces for being a lesbian. Her release stated:
"Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality"

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She then launched a $550,000 lawsuit against the Department of National Defence in January 1990.
Douglas stated that two male officers took her to a hotel room and questioned her about her sexual activities and told her that she should like men.

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Read 5 tweets
Jun 10
I asked AI to generate mascots based on a major industry &in each province.
These are the results.

British Columbia: Forestry
With 55 million hectares of forested land, B.C. is one of the world's largest exporters of wood products. Image
Alberta: Oil

The province is the largest oil producer in Canada, accounting for 80% of the total oil production of the country. Roughly 22-25% of Alberta's revenue annually comes from the oil and gas industry. Image
Saskatchewan: Agriculture

Saskatchewan annually exports over $3.3 billion in cereal grains, oilseeds, pulses and edible oils. The province is also a world leading producer and exporter of crops such as mustard seed and canary seed. Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 10
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Kenneth Zeller, whose tragic murder helped advance the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Kenneth Zeller was born on June 5, 1945 and worked as a librarian for three Toronto-area schools.

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On June 21, 1985 he went out for drinks with friends. As he walked to his car, five teenage boys began to chase him. They caught up with him at his car and beat him to death.
Zeller was found slumped in his car at 12:15 a.m. on June 22.

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After they were arrested, the teenagers agreed to be tried as adults.
The teenagers had been heard saying they wanted to "beat up a ***".
All five subsequently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter and received nine years in prison.

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Read 4 tweets
Jun 10
It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Kenojuak Ashevak, one of Canada's greatest artists!

Kenojuak Ashevak was born on Oct. 3, 1927 in an Inuit camp on the southern coast of Baffin Island. Her father was a fur trader and she was named for her grandfather.

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Kenojuak said her father could predict the weather & good hunting seasons and make swim at the surface of the water. Sadly, he died in 1933.
When she was 19, Kenojuak married Johnniebo Ashevak.
He became a major supporter of her artistry throughout their marriage.

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In 1950, after testing positive for TB, Kenojuak was forcibly transferred to Quebec City, where she remained for three years.
At the hospital, she began to occupy her time & deal with her loneliness through art.
In 1958, she published her 1st print, Rabbit Eating Seaweed

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Read 6 tweets

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