Personal Journey of Resilience in the Face of Racism and Oppression

Blog written by Priota Hassan, Youth Community Animator – TERT, BCS.

It was a meet and greet social for students in my university faculty to get to know some of the professors and upper administrative staff. Although not obvious, it was daunting since there was a clear power difference, between the staff and students.

In a small circle of students and faculty, a tenured professor was talking about their research and what they teach: social determinants of health. Somehow the conversation shifted to the Palestinian-Israel war and started taking political undertones. The professor mentioned how they are wary of students who are overtly expressive about this war for Gaza’s side, and how they are neutral in this conflict. That gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. From personal experiences and from many workshops I have been privileged to attend, I know that coming together and enabling a community’s power to take a stance is how to evoke change; not staying hidden and neutral. In addition, this professor was also known to take a strong public stance for Ukraine when the Russian-Ukrian conflict arose, so the blatant ignorance of the other side of oppression was shocking. 

It was daunting, but I respectfully expressed that I don’t think it’s fair to view students differently for their political stance, especially if it’s unrelated to their area of study. I added that and since there is not as much public support for Palestine from the Western government, this is the time folks must come together to raise awareness. I noticed others smile and nod to my comments, and the professor even thanked me for sharing a side different from his own.

In the past, I would not have been so confident in standing up to subtle oppression, especially in the face of a power dynamic, however, TERT and other social-awareness programs from BCS have enabled me to become a confident, curious, and most of all, respectful social change maker. 

Thank you for listening to my story. 
Priota

If you have any feedback about this blog or would like to contact the TERT campaign, please email us at YouthResilient@bangladeshi.ca. Thank you!