Developed with the Feminist History Society, Resilience and Triumph is a collection of true, first-person stories from 54 racialized immigrant and refugee women that creates an eclectic mix of three generations of voices. Women in their twenties to those in their seventies provide snapshots from the 1960s up to the present that capture the many intersections of gender with race, culture, class, religion and nationality in Canada over five decades. Together these vividly recounted entries document both historical and everyday moments that reveal striking similarities and differences for immigrant women coming from many parts of the globe.

The Book Project Collective encompasses women from diverse cultural, linguistic, religious backgrounds and national origins who share a passionate commitment to the community of immigrant and racialized women in Canada. It formed around a shared purpose – to help those whose voices are muted, those who are differentiated as racialized others and labeled “visible minority,” “newcomer,” and “woman of colour” articulate their life stories.

The Book Project Collective's profile page

Rashmi Luther is a retired academic (Carleton University) who continues to be engaged in community-based social justice activities, especially those concerning immigrants and racialized communities.

Rashmi Luther's profile page

Dr. Vanaja Dhruvarajan is an adjunct professor at Carleton University, Canada who has done research, and written a number of books and articles on racialized women.

Vanaja Dhruvarajan's profile page

Ikram Jama is an educator, and an activist who is committed to contributing to the creation of an accepting and inclusive community.

Ikram Jama's profile page

Yumi Kotani is a committed practitioner of equity and inclusion for all, who is inspired by the sheer beauty of human diversity.

Yumi Kotani's profile page

Monia Mazigh was born and raised in Tunisia and immigrated to Canada in 1991. Mazigh was catapulted onto the public stage in 2002 when her husband, Maher Arar, was deported to Syria where he was tortured and held without charge. She campaigned tirelessly for his release. Mazigh holds a Ph.D. in finance from McGill University. She has published a memoir, Hope and Despair, and her novel Miroirs et mirages was published in the original French in 2011 and was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award.

Monia Mazigh's profile page

Peruvemba S. Jaya is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa. Her research, writing, and teaching areas include gender diversity, multiculturalism, immigrants' issues, identity formation, intercultural communication, and ethnic media.

Peruvemba S. Jaya's profile page

Lucya Spencer is an educator and community advocate who continues to work towards influencing change.

Lucya Spencer's profile page

What can one learn from this wonderful book? That we are all stronger than we think; that we are all uniquely different, yet we have more commonalities than differences; that patriarchy is alive and well, thank you; that women would rather be victorious than victims; that Canada has a long way to go in its treatment of immigrants, particularly female immigrants; and that this is Canada's loss.

Herizons

Despite the very different cultural, social, and historical backgrounds of the stories, certain similarities are revealed in the experience of migration narrated by these racialized women: constant tensions between their contradictory worlds, barriers to integration due to their difference and “visibility,” and reconciliation with their hyphenated identity, for example.

Canadian Literature

...the publication is as much about the development and writing of the book as about the stories themselves from some remarkable women.

Montréal Serai

Resilience and Triumph is a great collection which leaves you with the feeling that you’ve just made 50 new friends. It’s rare to find such honest recollections of Canada’s opportunities, discrimination and affect on 50 women’s lives.

Broken Pencil