Inspirational Women
Christina McKelvie MSP
An exhausted looking Mrs Ross with Christina on the staircase at the Scottish Parliament during the 16 Days of 2024.
Christina McKelvie MSP
Christina McKelvie was a wee girl from Easterhouse in Glasgow, who happened upon the poetry of Myra Ross a wee girl from Niddrie in Edinburgh. A few brief meetings would be more than enough for each to recognise the tenacity, courage and drive for social justice in the other. Sadly, we never got the chance to blether at length, to share our stories and to join forces in the quest for social justice. Christina was an inspiration to me and her support for my work was invaluable and most gratefully received. She was and remains an amazing example of Scottish womanhood.
The Story
It's March 2023 and I have just parked the car at Tesco. International Women's Day is approaching, so I am a busy lady. I steal myself to sit in the quiet, five minutes for myself. The phone rings, demanding my attention. I check to see who is calling before granting permission to allow this breach in my peace. It's my friend and colleague Dr Em'. (Up until this point, this was one of the most memorable conversations I had ever had; there would be more to come.)
Em': "Hello you, I sent your poem Rights to the office of the Minister for Equalities, Christina McKelvie. Her office have been in touch and the Minister is asking if she can have your permission to read your poem in the Scottish Parliament on International Women's Day?"
I laughed, as Em' said, "I know, I was pretty confident that you would have absolutely no objections to that, but I thought it was really lovely that she asked". I replied "I would be absolutely thrilled to bits, chuffed squint to have my words read in the Parliament, so that is a definite yes".
I had never met Christina McKelvie MSP, I knew nothing of her. This would change. In 2023 I wrote Imagine by Myra Ross. It was used in the national 16 Days of Activism Against VAWG {Violence Against Women and Girls} campaign and during the days, I was invited to be in Edinburgh for the launch of the refreshed Equally Safe Strategy. Lorna Stanger, a survivor of male violence would also be in the city, running number 13 of the 16 marathons she would run during those 16 Days. Lorna and I had agreed to meet at the Scottish Parliament, hoping to highlight Lorna's efforts and the issue of VAWG.
The Team from Zero Tolerance had been invited to a press event at the Parliament and were kind enough to make arrangements for me to join them. It's fair to say, I often have absolutely no idea of how exactly I am going to get things done. I just head in the direction of my objectives and the universe is generally game for playing along. We arrived, at the Parliament and spoke with the staff at the office of Rhoda Grant MSP, who upon hearing about Lorna's Challenge and knowing Lorna from the Highlands (it's a small world on a vast landscape) arrangements were made to have Lorna join us at the Parliament's Press Opportunity.
Soon, I find myself watching as the Parliamentary chamber empties on the stairway and Lorna hands out laminated copies of the verses of Imagine by Myra Ross to the gathering of MSPs. Photographs are taken and it's all quite surreal, given that an hour ago I had no idea if or how we would actually get to speak to anyone at the Parliament.
The silencing of victims of abuse is for me a key part of the trauma and it's impact. To not be allowed, enabled or supported to tell your story, to speak your truth it seems to me continues the theft of power inherent in the abuse itself. I teared up watching as Lorna engaged the then First Minister Humza Yousaf in a conversation, telling him of the need to address the issue of VAWG. Then she points to me and says "Have you met Myra? Myra wrote the poem, Myra come and meet the First Minister". I did what I was told, Lorna was now leading the mission.
Selfie's were taken and a blether was had before I left them to their conversation. Feeling eyes upon me I looked up the stairs to see Christina McKelvie MSP looking back at me and mouthing "You're Myra the poet". I made my way up to meet her, we hugged, chatted smiled and took a selfie. I was immediately aware that this was a force of nature, a good soul and a force for good. I gave her one of the postcards we had printed of Imagine and we parted company.
In January of 2024 I received a letter from Christina in which she said: "I firmly believe in the transformative power that culture holds to help tackle equalities issues, such as gender based violence." and "I believe that culture has life changing potential, and I greatly commend your recent project to break the silence on gender based violence through poetry and storytelling." At that particular time I was dealing with an onslaught of bullying, inspired no doubt by the success of the work to which Christina was referring. As I am sure she knew only too well, being a woman who stands up to break the silence and demand change is not the way to make yourself popular with everyone. I was delighted to receive the letter and it was a very welcome guard against those who were less than supportive of my efforts.
In the coming months I was to hear news that Christina was once more receiving treatment for breast cancer. I was also to become aware that my dear friend and dancing partner was also, once more, receiving treatment for breast cancer. I am an optimist at heart and to be honest quite unconvinced that cancer was any match for these brilliant women. Maybe that is true, perhaps I was just quite unable to consider the possibility that cancer would prevail.
In September of 2024 I was nominated by Emma Roddick MSP as a Local Hero for my work in VAWG and invited to the 25th Anniversary celebrations at the Scottish Parliament. Emma asked if I would like to see Christina and of course I said yes. She was there a vision in her green silk dress which bore a remarkable resemblance to the dress my friend was making for me at that time. I was so pleased to see her, she was so very full of life, I had no idea of the challenges she was still facing. I wrote to her office in the months to come, inviting her to come along to a Spider In The Glass webinar. I was advised she was absent from work, so I wrote to her including some poetry, like myself Christina McKelvie was a poet and lover of poetry. She died in Glasgow on 27th March 2025, her funeral would take place on the 11th April 2025 at 3pm.
I, like many others wanted to go and pay my respects but my first routine mammogram was to take place at 14:50 in Inverness that same day. I was sure she would advise the scan was the priority. I subsequently received a message from my friend who was in hospital receiving treatment for breast cancer. Her news was not good and sadly she also passed away.
Christina McKelvie MSP was a woman with a lot of power and when she saw the opportunity to help others or to address an injustice she took it, when people asked for help, wherever she could she said "I can". As I approach the launch of a campaign to join the dots between a trauma informed response and the experience of the many spiders caught in glasses. I would encourage everyone to be like Christina, be a can.
My friend was a very private person and so all I will say is that she embodied acceptance, her ability to allow others to just be as they were, to allow them to move with her and around her with a freedom of choice was quite exquisite. I wrote words for her which were shared with her family and I also wrote words for dear Christina which were shared with hers. Both of these women were the embodiment of doing what you can for others. It was a privilege to meet and know them. I so hope they met up on the next part of the journey. I hope they know how I miss them and that I'll tell them all the news when I get there.
Be like them, be a can, whenever and wherever you can.
Myra
Women Inspiring Others
They were inspiring women
Calling others on
Modelling outspoken
Defiant brave and strong
Teaching all the other girls
Who watched them
As they grew
About the many things
A girl might say or do
The poets politicians
The warriors the brave
Breaking down the barriers
On how women should behave
Standing up and voicing
Their anger rage despair
At the impact of injustice
Inequality's unfair
I watched them and I listened
As young Myra made her way
To write poyums create stories
To shares with you today
I also watched and listened
To the good the others do
With their silent acceptance
I am here and I see you
In simply just refusing
To define instruct upon
The ways to be a human
To depict
The right or wrong
I learned much from these women
Who were kind gentle and fair
Placed their teachings in my heart
Precious teachings I will share
Myra Ross 2025
In loving memory of Christina and Ballerina