'Canadian Face' 2014 Portraits

 

I was born and raised in Toronto, in a neighborhood in the east end known as Little India. I grew up with friends from all around the world who looked different then me. Race was never part of our conversations; friends gathered around shared interests like math, sports or music, not ethnicity. At school, classmates with families from all around the world would sing the Canadian national anthem. We all loved pizza day, the game of four-square, and indoor recess. We may have looked different and yet were the same.

 

To me, this is what it means to be Canadian - to love Canada, and contribute to your community. My experience growing up in an inclusive multi-cultural community formed this inclusive attitude of what it means to be Canadian. I assumed Canada was like this everywhere.

 

Now in my 20’s I have seen many female friends of different ethic background succeed in break new ground across diverse areas of Canadian society. To me, the women of first, second, third, or fourth generation migrant families are the strongest part of what Canada is today. Young Women of every ethic background are actively shaping what our country will become in the future.

 

Yet I struggle to find accurate representations of their contributions within the contemporary Canadian history of our time.

 

Developing a series I would like to re-evaluate Canadian History to include these women, exploring common threads in the strengths and virtues of Canadian women, which are shared regardless cultural backgrounds.