In 1963, women’s style included thigh-high boots and sleeveless dresses, the radio was playing Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton, The Forest Rangers was on TV, the average household income was $4800.00 per annum, the cost of a postage stamp was $0.04, Lester B. Pearson was Prime Minister of Canada, and Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream” speech.

1963 was also the year the Capital Chordettes took a stance for the rights of women – all women, regardless of race, colour, or creed.

The Capital Chordettes were originally members of a Sweet Adelines, an international barbershop organization for women founded in 1945. For several years, singing and music were the focus. In 1957, however, a Corporate By-law Amendment was introduced and approved making membership restricted to “white girls of good moral character”, in other words, only Caucasian women. Shadowing this change, turmoil followed with years of protest during which regents resigned, chapters were divided and friendships were torn apart.

In 1958, disheartened members left Sweet Adelines and began the process of forming a new women’s barbershop organisation with no barriers to race, creed, or colour. Five founding chapters came together to form Harmony, Inc. (HI) and determined that their new organisation would be based on democratic principles that allowed input from all members for all major decisions.

Still, within Sweet Adelines, there was uproar in 1963, when the Capital Chordettes named Lana Clowes, a black woman, as their Director and a member of their Executive. In response, Sweet Adelines sent out an ultimatum: disavow her membership or leave the organization. Consequently, two members of the Capital Chordettes attended a meeting of Harmony, Inc. in Toronto and voiced their intent to stand for their values and their Director, and join HI. As thus, Capital Chordettes became the seventh chapter to join Harmony Incorporated.