Yasemin Tuncer

Immigrant Women in Montreal Tell Their Stories with Graffiti

For this project, immigrant women from all walks of life depicted their experiences in Montreal using graffiti on pieces of cardboard.

Part of being an immigrant means trying to blend in. There is usually a fear that any wrong move may lead to deportation. This pressure is doubled for women as they also have to manage the power struggle against men.

That Bill 21 has passed in Quebec made put further pressure on these women’s lives. According to Bill 21, those working in places of public service will no longer have the right to carry religious symbols on them, which means that turbans and hijabs, which are items that need to be worn on a daily basis will have to be eliminated from the public sphere. As a result, these people are forced to make a choice between their religious beliefs or their professional paths, a choice that should not even be brought up in a country that promotes basic human rights.

 To find out more about the stories and see the graffiti work, please go to the site by clicking on here.