Aurore gagnon biography of martin luther king

Canadian child abuse victim

Aurore Gagnon
Born	Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon ()31 May Sainte-Philomène-de-Fortierville, Quebec, Canada
Died	12 February () (aged&#;10) Sainte-Philomène-de-Fortierville, Quebec, Canada
Cause&#;of death	Sepsis and fatigue
Resting place	Fortierville Cemetery
Known&#;for	Being a victim of child abuse
Parent(s)	Télesphore Gagnon Marie-Anne Caron
Relatives	Marie-Jeanne Gagnon (sister) Georges-Etienne Gagnon (brother) Joseph Gagnon (brother) Lucina Gagnon (sister)

Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon,^[1] simply known as Aurore Gagnon (31 May – 12 February ), was a Canadian girl who was a victim of child abuse.

She died of exhaustion and blood poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her father, Télesphore Gagnon. The story of l'enfant martyre (English translation: The Child Martyr) received great attention in the media and Aurore became an icon of Quebec sociological and popular culture.

Life

Gagnon was born into and raised in a Roman Catholic family.^[2] She was the second of five children of farmer Télesphore Gagnon and his first wife Marie-Anne Caron, whom he had married in September They lived in Fortierville, a small village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, kilometers southwest of Quebec City.

The Gagnons' first child, Marie-Jeanne, was born in August Aurore's birth was quickly followed by that of Lucina, then Georges-Étienne in and Joseph in ^[3]

In , not long after Joseph's birth, Marie-Anne Caron was hospitalized for tuberculosis. Marie-Anne Houde, the widow of a cousin of Télesphore, soon moved into the Gagnon home, saying that she wanted to "take care of the house and children." She was a something-year-old mother of two sons, Gérard and Henri-Georges.

She was born in Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévrard, a neighbouring municipality of Fortierville.

On 6 November , two-year-old Joseph was found dead in his bed; a coroner's inquest deemed it a natural death.^[4]

On 23 January , Marie-Anne Caron died of her illness at the Beauport Asylum.

Since Télesphore could not take care of the farm and his children all by himself, he married Houde in a private ceremony the following week.

The Gagnon children went to live with their grandparents for a few months in Leclercville, another neighbouring municipality.^[5] The children returned to their father's home in the summer of ; it was then that Aurore began to be abused.

Houde did not abuse her stepdaughter only physically; several eyewitnesses testified that she had once tried to poison Aurore by urging her to drink detergent.

In September , year-old Aurore was hospitalized for more than a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with a severe leg infection that was caused by her stepmother branding her with a metal poker.

Upon her release, the beatings resumed.

Death

Aurore died on 12 February Her autopsy was conducted in the church sacristy by Dr. Albert Marois, who noticed around 54 wounds all over her body. The wounds were a result of several blows administered over time. The most severe wound was located on the side of Aurore's skull.

Her scalp was caked in dried blood and pus, and her left thigh was swollen. The skin on her hands and wrists had been ripped off down to the bone.^[6]

Aurore Gagnon's funeral took place on 14 February ; the Mass was led by Fr. Ferdinand Massé. After the funeral, Télesphore and Houde were arrested and charged with killing Aurore.

Aurore gagnon biography of martin luther king jr In the spring of , King organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The shooter was James Earl Ray , a malcontent drifter and former convict. King's book "Why We Can't Wait" is published. Curse of Aurore tells the story of a group of friends who travel to Fortierville to investigate the Aurore Gagnon case for their film project.

Houde was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Although the jury did not recommend mercy, her sentence was commuted to life in prison.^[7] Houde was paroled on health grounds on 3 July She died of breast and brain cancer on 12 May , at age

Télesphore was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison.

The jury decided not to convict him of murder since they believed his wife had manipulated him into abusing his daughter. Télesphore was paroled in , on the grounds of good behaviour.

Biography of john knox Sepsis and fatigue. He was met with increasing criticism and public challenges from young Black power leaders. The Bon Marche promises 30 new jobs for blacks. Six years before he told the world of his dream, King stood at the same Lincoln Memorial steps as the final speaker of the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom.

He also had a throat tumor, which doctors thought would kill him within a few months. However, Télesphore survived and returned to his hometown and previous life. He wrote several letters to Marie-Anne Houde, who was still in prison. After her death, Télesphore remarried.

Aurore gagnon biography of martin luther king day 2025 In due time, Michael Jr. King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, well-trained, and had solid family connections and professional standing. Washington High School, where he was said to be a precocious student. Huey P.

He died on 30 August , at age ^[8]

Télesphore spent most of the remainder of his life in obscurity. However, his name returned to the public spotlight because of an upcoming film about the case. Télesphore and his family unsuccessfully tried to stop the release of the film on the grounds that it would damage their reputation.^[8]

Aurore's older sister Marie-Jeanne died in Shawinigan in ^[9]

In popular culture

Aurore Gagnon remains a popular cultural icon in Quebec, with almost mythical status.

play

The trials attracted significant attention from the public, and dozens of people had to be turned away at every hearing. The press coverage of the case inspired two actors, Henri Rollin and Léon Petitjean, to write a play titled Aurore, l'enfant martyre (Aurore, the Child Martyr).

The play premiered on 21 January at the Théâtre Alcazar in Montreal; it was a smash hit.^[10] After having performed the play at five other Montreal theatres, the cast and crew toured all of Quebec and also performed in Ontario and the seaside provinces. In the span of 25 years, the play was performed over 6, times and was seen by about , people.^[11]

The following actresses took turns playing Marie-Anne Houde: Amanda d'Estrée, Germaine Germain, Nana de Varennes, Rose Rey-Duzil, Henriette Berthier, and Lucie Mitchell.

The role of Aurore was most often played by Thérèse McKinnon.^[12]

film

In , the success of the play could still be felt; this inspired producers of the Alliance cinématographique canadienne to make a film about Aurore Gagnon's life. Jean-Yves Bigras was hired to direct the film.

Filming took place during the summer of in Sainte-Dorothée, a small municipality on the Île Jésus in northern Montreal. Lucie Mitchell reprised her role as Marie-Anne Houde, whereas Paul Desmarteaux played Télesphore Gagnon. Thérèse McKinnon, who had played Aurore on stage, ended up playing Marie-Anne Caron, Aurore's biological mother, in the film.

The role of Aurore was played by Yvonne Laflamme.

The film was slated to be released in the fall of , but Télesphore Gagnon tried to obtain an injunction to prevent this. The Court ruled in favour of the producers, citing, among other things, the fact that Télesphore had never objected to the release of the play in

The film, titled La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre, premiered on 25 April at the Théâtre Saint-Denis.

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It was sold out for the first few weeks of its release, which was a first for a Québécois film. The film would later be dubbed into eight languages.^[13]

play

A remake of the play, titled simply Aurore, was performed in This remake was directed by René Richard Cyr and starred Adèle Reinhardt as Aurore and Louison Danis as her stepmother.^[14]

film

In , a new film about Aurore Gagnon was announced; titled Aurore, it was produced by Denise Robert and directed by Luc Dionne.

In September of that year, about 10, child actresses auditioned for the role of Aurore;^[15] the role eventually went to Marianne Fortier, who was ten years old at the time.

The film was released on 8 July Acting alongside Fortier were Serge Postigo as Télesphore Gagnon, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc as Marie-Anne Houde, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as Marie-Jeanne Gagnon, Yves Jacques as Father Antoine Leduc, and Rémy Girard as Justice of the Peace Oréus Mailhot.

Like the film, the film was a box office hit, making a total of CA$, during the first weekend of showings; at the time, this was a summer record for a Québécois film.^[16]

The film is noteworthy for implying that the village priest, Ferdinand Massé (named Antoine Leduc in the film), was complicit in Aurore's death, which is false.

In the film, Leduc repeatedly claims that Aurore is a difficult child as well as a compulsive liar; he also dismisses other villagers' concerns for Aurore and even discourages them from intervening.

film

In , a horror film titled Curse of Aurore was released. The film uses the Auore Gagnon case as a backstory for its fictional events set in the present.

Curse of Aurore tells the story of a group of friends who travel to Fortierville to investigate the Aurore Gagnon case for their film project.

Biography of martin luther king: Distraught at the news, he jumped from a second-story window at the family home, allegedly attempting suicide. Madam C. Aurore's older sister Marie-Jeanne died in Shawinigan in Memorial in Washington, D.

Other developments

The case of Aurore Gagnon is well-documented in the historic literature of Quebec. Many still consider her case to be a turning point for children's rights in Quebec and even in all of Canada. Indeed, the case helped to spark public interest in the realities of domestic violence and child abuse. Many Quebecers think of Aurore's death as a reminder that silence in the face of injustice often does more harm than good.

On 7 December , the town of Fortierville recognized Aurore as a historical figure (French: personnage historique).^[17]

See also

References

External links