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These are the days of #metoo. These are the days of being “woke.” From Parliament Hill to Hollywood, women are coming forward to share stories of being harassed, abused and assaulted — and to demand better. We asked some participants to tell us, in their own words, why they’ll be taking part in Saturday’s Women’s March in the nation’s capital.
“I’m marching because I’m a woman — a black woman — who came here through immigration, and I’m a Canadian, too. I came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“When we’re leaving a country to come to Canada, it’s always because we want to participate here in Canada to develop the country, to help people and to have a better life. We don’t leave our country just to have fun; we come here to create something. And when we’re leaving a country, it’s usually because there’s some trouble there, because democracy is not there or the system’s not working, and we choose another country for our kids and our safety, and to build a better family.
“Most of the people who come here are professionals: engineers or lawyers or in medicine or architecture. Or some are women who were raped in the country and they came here because they want a safe place.
“Canada is not one of the most racist countries in the world, no. I went to a country that was much worse than Canada. But there are some policies and systems here that make us feel like second-class citizens. When you go looking for a job, you know you’re a part of the minority, and that makes it hard to find a job. The colour of our skin, even when we’re qualified for a better job, will stop you, and they’ll take somebody else who is maybe not qualified like you but looks better for the organization. All black people have been through this.
“I worked for one organization, and for the first two years the general manager was amazing. But the second one who came showed me I was black. He would say ‘If you want to hire people, don’t hire people from your community.’ So that’s why I’m marching. As a black woman, it’s always hard to find a good position, a good job.
“Also, for the women who came here, they went though a lot before they got here. They went through a war; they protected their families; they went to a camp. And then when they came here to Canada, because they don’t know the system and the system doesn’t really understand their culture, Children’s Aid is often coming to take their kids. In Africa, you’re not the only one who is raising your kid: it’s your aunt, your uncle. Everybody’s helping. But when they come here they don’t have the system, and they get into the Canadian system where you’re by yourself, and it’s sometimes hard for them. And when they take away the kids from those women who have fought so hard for so many years to protect their kids, they bring them to a Caucasian family, where they don’t recognize themselves and they have problems with their culture.
“I’m also marching for black women, or immigrant women, who are abused by their husbands. Two months ago there was a woman who was abused by her husband, but because she didn’t speak French or English, there was nobody to translate what she was saying. She went to see the police once or twice and explained to them what was going on, but because no one could understand what she was saying, they told her to go home. And when she went back home, her husband was so mad he beat her and killed her. So that’s why I’m marching.
“And I’m marching for all the women here in Canada who are working very hard but are not paid the same amount as men. And I’m marching because when you look at the political system, we don’t see too many women — that’s something that’s missing here in Canada. And I’m marching for environmental problems, and the LGBT. They’re human. We are all human. It’s not because of the skin colour or our sex or our religion. We all come from the same roots, so we’re all human. That’s what people need to know and understand, and accept other people.”
— Yelu Mulop.
Related
bdeachman@postmedia.com
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“I’m marching because I’m a woman — a black woman — who came here through immigration, and I’m a Canadian, too. I came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“When we’re leaving a country to come to Canada, it’s always because we want to participate here in Canada to develop the country, to help people and to have a better life. We don’t leave our country just to have fun; we come here to create something. And when we’re leaving a country, it’s usually because there’s some trouble there, because democracy is not there or the system’s not working, and we choose another country for our kids and our safety, and to build a better family.
“Most of the people who come here are professionals: engineers or lawyers or in medicine or architecture. Or some are women who were raped in the country and they came here because they want a safe place.
“Canada is not one of the most racist countries in the world, no. I went to a country that was much worse than Canada. But there are some policies and systems here that make us feel like second-class citizens. When you go looking for a job, you know you’re a part of the minority, and that makes it hard to find a job. The colour of our skin, even when we’re qualified for a better job, will stop you, and they’ll take somebody else who is maybe not qualified like you but looks better for the organization. All black people have been through this.
“I worked for one organization, and for the first two years the general manager was amazing. But the second one who came showed me I was black. He would say ‘If you want to hire people, don’t hire people from your community.’ So that’s why I’m marching. As a black woman, it’s always hard to find a good position, a good job.
“Also, for the women who came here, they went though a lot before they got here. They went through a war; they protected their families; they went to a camp. And then when they came here to Canada, because they don’t know the system and the system doesn’t really understand their culture, Children’s Aid is often coming to take their kids. In Africa, you’re not the only one who is raising your kid: it’s your aunt, your uncle. Everybody’s helping. But when they come here they don’t have the system, and they get into the Canadian system where you’re by yourself, and it’s sometimes hard for them. And when they take away the kids from those women who have fought so hard for so many years to protect their kids, they bring them to a Caucasian family, where they don’t recognize themselves and they have problems with their culture.
“I’m also marching for black women, or immigrant women, who are abused by their husbands. Two months ago there was a woman who was abused by her husband, but because she didn’t speak French or English, there was nobody to translate what she was saying. She went to see the police once or twice and explained to them what was going on, but because no one could understand what she was saying, they told her to go home. And when she went back home, her husband was so mad he beat her and killed her. So that’s why I’m marching.
“And I’m marching for all the women here in Canada who are working very hard but are not paid the same amount as men. And I’m marching because when you look at the political system, we don’t see too many women — that’s something that’s missing here in Canada. And I’m marching for environmental problems, and the LGBT. They’re human. We are all human. It’s not because of the skin colour or our sex or our religion. We all come from the same roots, so we’re all human. That’s what people need to know and understand, and accept other people.”
— Yelu Mulop.
Related
- Why We March: 'Our optimism is guarded'
- Why We March: 'We grew up thinking for the most part that gender equality had been achieved'
- Why We March: 'I'm confident that Ottawa's voters are capable of defying gravity'
- Why We March: 'I was seen as a letdown because I wasn't a boy
- Why We March: 'This should have been rectified way back'
- Why We March: 'I'm marching for everybody'
bdeachman@postmedia.com
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