SASKATOON — Local poet Ahmad Majid was thankful for his parents' sacrifices and their journey from moving to Kuwait from Iraq. Unfortunately, his parents and three siblings had to leave again when the Gulf War started in 1990; they chose to settle in Canada since they could not go back to Iraq, landing in Halifax the same year where he was later born.
Majid, Saskatoon Open Door Society Fund Development and Communications Manager, was one of the speakers marking the beginning of Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Month on Monday, March 3, at the Saskatoon City Hall Council Chambers. He recited his poem “Rites of Passage” based on his parents’ experience of building a new life in Canada.
“It was based on my experience seeing my parents' journey to settle, integrate, feel welcome, and build a life here in Canada, also through my time working at [SODS]. I am just taking bits and pieces from other people's journeys, and the goal was to showcase a lot that goes into even coming here before you arrive on this land,” Majid told Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
“Once you get here, that's a whole other journey, and I think people are sometimes quick to forget that and not fully understand that everyone coming is coming with a story. It's coming with a unique journey. It's coming with a valuable perspective, a human perspective.”
Majid added working at SODS was close to his heart because of the work they do and the impact they bring to newcomers in Saskatoon, including the support they provide for people to become productive members of the community.
“The people, when they come, they need certain support services. But in one, two, or three years from now, they are out in the community, working in their profession, being leaders, and all those things. That's why it's so important, I think, the work that we do is because we're that springboard, that launching point for the future success of our community, not certain groups or specific populations,” said Majid.
In high school, he became passionate about poetry to communicate the message he wanted others to hear.
“We were living in a time where, as I was saying inside, we're living in a time where we're very quick to dehumanize each other and make assumptions about each other. You're from this culture, you follow this religion, you must be like this when you have no idea. So, I wanted to try and tell a different story. Unpack that a little to allow people to see that we're more similar than we think,” Majid said.
“There are good and bad people everywhere, but that's not a default to someone's race or ethnicity. There's more to it. With all these stories and poems, I encourage people to learn about the people themselves. If you know something about a group, talk to that group. Ask them what they think about peace and happiness. What does that look like for them? Your mind will open up completely regarding things like that.”
Sense of belonging
Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Director Stryker Calvez, PhD, said Saskatoon comprises people from different places. March celebrates the relationship between the various communities that call the largest city in Saskatchewan home.
“It's the history that has created Saskatoon and made it this unique place we call home. We focus on race relations, being together, and living together in harmony. Notably, just living together well. What it does is it creates a place that we can all call home. It creates that sense of belonging. It helps people understand that this is where our children can grow safely. That's important to all of us,” said Calvez.
“We want children to have a good life. We need to focus on the importance of being together well. The idea of race relations is something that's been a historical event that keeps going on. We participate in it, but we don't do it as a token gesture. We recognize that this is really what Saskatoon is.”
He added that Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Month is an excellent way of promoting each community since everyone has a story to tell.
“What we do today is celebrate those many stories. [Saskatoon] is your home. Whatever we can do to improve it, remove barriers, improve everybody's understanding of that, help them see their identity in this place,” said Calvez.
“Importantly, I want to help shape the identity of Saskatoon and be a part of those conversations. I hope everybody feels that the city is doing the best job and that I know we can do better, but we will continue to do better.”
