Edgar File, an ordained United Church minister and professor emeritus who taught social science at 첥Ƶ for 30 years, has died at the age of 94.
In 1965, File – then a young United Church minister – accepted an important invitation.
American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. had issued a call for clergy, activists and citizens to travel to Selma, Alabama, to support the voting rights movement.
File joined thousands who answered that call, taking part in the historic Selma to Montgomery marches. He was among the nearly 25,000 people who completed the final march to Montgomery, driven by a profound passion for justice work and activism.
That passion would shape the rest of his career.
A few years later, File brought that passion to 첥Ƶ, where he taught social science at Atkinson College until 1999.
The discipline was a natural extension of his values, says his daughter, Patricia File, “because of the analysis that comes from better understanding how social and political structures either foster or prevent true equality and social justice.”
For File, the classroom was a two-way street: he imparted his principles and was continually inspired by those he taught.
“He always spoke of how much he enjoyed teaching the students at Atkinson College,” she says. He particularly admired the determination of the part-time students, many of whom balanced their studies with full-time commitments, such as careers or parenting.
Throughout his time at York, File continued to show up for the causes he had championed in Selma.
He remained dedicated to addressing urban poverty, developing programs through the Canadian Urban Training Program in partnership with the United Church of Canada to equip both clergy and laypeople with training to tackle urban poverty and other pressing social issues.
File also co-founded Winnipeg’s first halfway house for formerly incarcerated people, worked in solidarity with Indigenous communities and travelled internationally with the World Council of Churches – Urban Rural Mission, advancing social justice globally.
A lifelong focus for File was working with the Taiwanese community through the Taiwan Urban Rural Mission, advancing principles of democracy and human rights. Taiwan, under martial law from 1949-87, had restricted political freedoms, and human rights initiatives were needed both locally and abroad to support democratization and civic engagement. File led numerous programs in Canada and Taiwan, fostering cross-cultural understanding and supporting democratic development. In recognition of his three decades of dedication, in 2014 he was named the inaugural recipient of the Albert J.F. Lin Human Rights Award by the Taiwanese Human Rights Association of Canada, honouring his key role in Taiwan’s peaceful democratization.
Even after he stepped back from teaching and assumed professor emeritus status, his impact continued to resonate through awards, and also with his students. “I met people later in life who had been his students, and they spoke with great affection about how inspiring and eye-opening they found his courses to be,” his daughter says.
Whether through his teaching, his human rights advocacy or marching in Selma as a young minister, File leaves a lasting legacy.
He is survived by his life partner of 45 years, seven children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.