Over 150 people attended the Shalwar Kameez Walk on Western main campus on November 12, 2021.
Powerful speeches were made by Dr. Fatimah Jackson-Best (Course Director and York University) and Dr. Opiyo Oloya (Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion). They shared words outlining the severity of islamophobia across Canada, and empowering Muslims and allies to stand together against a problem that "[Muslims] did not cause." - Dr. Oloya.
The walk began promptly following Drs. Jackson-Best and Oloya's speeches. Participants marched twice around campus, holding signs and chanting. Following the walk, participants heard from Sadaf Mehrabi (a PhD student in Engineering) and Zamir Fakirani (President of USC). Zamir ended the speaker series with a crucial call to action, urging politicians to pass the Our London Family act, which includes making changes to educational systems so children can better understand Islamophobia, dismantling white supremacist groups in the province by preventing them from registering as societies, forming a provincial hate-crimes accountability unit that would investigate failures in fighting hate incidents, and hiring more minorities in the public service.
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