Diversity on display at inclusive Regina rally on Tuesday afternoon
Regina's cultural diversity was showcased at F.W. Johnson Collegiate on Tuesday afternoon with a rally to celebrate the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Esraa Naser described the day as a time to learn about, see and be part of another culture.
Naser is from Iraq but came to Canada six years ago. She said diversity is important to people because it allows them to showcase themselves and their cultures.
"It's a really fun day," she said. "Enjoy and show who you are. Just say, 'I'm proud and from that country.'"
That point hit home for Fahdi Ahmed.
"There are people who hide who they are because of shame," Ahmed said. "Expressing who you are is more to me than anything else and if I get to express who I am through this, then why not go for it?"
Ahmed came to Canada from Somalia more than four years ago.
She said her mother suffered while raising her and her siblings as a single mother, trying to protect them in a warring country. The civil war in Somalia had prevented Ahmed from being able to fully invest herself in schooling.
When she first started school in Canada, she didn't feel like she was fitting in.
"As time went by, I felt more comfortable in expressing who I am and where I'm from," she said.
