Margaret Philp's journalism career at the Globe & Mail spanned 20 years. She began working as a business reporter, but it was her deep interest in social policy where she found her strongest voice, speaking for disenfranchised groups such as the homeless, children who'd been abused, First Nations' children, and women living in poverty. She won National Newspaper Awards for work on homelessness and won the coveted Atkinson Fellowship, exploring public policy issues surrounding adoption.
Margaret's last published article was on cancer and cosmetics, using information that she was able to acquire in her own fight to help inform all of us.She was determined to shed light on the complex causes of, and contributors to, morbidity and mortality, and how we might all work towards reducing the potential harmful effects of the substances around us.
Margaret's series on the homeless brought to life the complexities of life on the street, her articles painting deeply moving portraits: "Fred Dunn speaks in rhyme, bits of fractured wisdom tumbling from his mouth. When he stops talking, as he only reluctantly does, he runs. He runs like religion, sprinting up hills with an 80-pound timber hoisted on a shoulder, peeling off dirty wool socks and rolling up his trousers in sub-zero temperatures to race barefoot in the snow."
Margaret died on September 9, 2009, at age 43, after a four-year battle with breast cancer. The book, A Voice for Many, is a compilation of her articles, with introductions by more than 40 individuals working in the areas of social justice and business.
A resident of Toronto Island, Margaret stayed on Bowen Island twice during the years she had cancer, and it had a special place in her heart. The book is dedicated to her four children, and proceeds will go to a charity of their choice, Inspire Health, an integrated approach to cancer treatment, healing and recovery in British Columbia.
The book launch for A Voice for Many by Margaret Philp (edited by Janis Sarra) is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bowen Island Lodge, 380 Cardena Drive. Speakers include Susanna Braund, Kimberley Noble, Margot Young, Shannon Jackson and Janis Sarra.
Advance tickets only: $15 to attend or $36 to attend, receive a copy of the book, a glass of wine and antipasti. Advance tickets at Phoenix or please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
JANIS SARRA
Special to the Undercurrent
