Artifact #4: The Case of Leilani Muir – Interview with Survivor of the Michener Centre Leilani Muir

Leilani Muir,” produced by University of Alberta Living archives, November 8, 2015, YouTube video, 0.09, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Lp9Ga3HY4

Presented is a still from the documentary titled Leilani Muir retrieved from the University of Alberta Living Archives. This interview styled documentary focuses on Leilani Muir’s case through the Michener Centre in 1928 highlighting the selection process to the aftermath. In this documentary Leilani reflects and discusses her time in the Michener Centre and how she was not informed of the sterilization, additionally discussing how she found out the news of her sterilization not until her 20s. As well, Leilani demonstrates to audiences the raw emotion surrounding her difficulty adopting a baby because of her involvement with the Michener institution. Audiences can also learn through this documentary how Leilani’s battle with the Alberta government proved to be both a major success as well as a global movement on Eugenics. Furthermore, using this documentary, audiences can feel Leilani’s raw emotion and hear one of the many stories associated with Eugenics and the Alberta Sexual Sterilization Act.

Muir, Leilani. A Whisper Past: Childless after Eugenic Sterilization in Alberta: A Memoir. 1st ed. Friesen Press, 2014.https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JsE9AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Muir,+L.+(2014).+A+Whisper+Past.+Victoria,+BC+:+FriesenPress,+Inc.&ots=Fs12PzW0sq&sig=aH4IQtaZ3XN5BIM0fDFj2-0-DLs - v=onepage&q&f=false