The Same Night Sky By Riana Torrejon @rrriana_t Riana Torrejon is a business student at the University of Alberta who is a passionate advocate for human rights. In her spare time, she loves to write, sing, and play with Microsoft Excel. She is also the founder of Hikaw Earrings, a small polymer clay earring business that promotes the Filipino culture in its work. Previously, she has given a TED Talk in hopes of tackling prejudiced and xenophobic attitudes toward immigrants by offering a new perspective to those who may be ambivalent about embracing individuals from other unfamiliar countries and territories. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of her greatest inspirations. I yearn to be openly Filipino, but it seems to provoke so much hate and anger. Earlier this summer, I was standing on the transit station platform waiting for the train when my phone rang. I answered it and began to speak in Tagalog with my mom. A woman nearby overheard me and darted her head towards my direction. Her face quickly turned into a scowl. She began to scream derogatory remarks. It was nothing I had not heard before. The same selection of phrases like: “Go back to your country,” “You don’t belong here,” and “You’ve ruined my day.” This woman then attempted to punch me, but a tall white man interfered and held her back as I ran away.
I walked away from the train and decided to take an Uber home. I vowed that I would never again take public transportation at 8:00 PM. I also made a note that I would save up for a car. I even blamed myself for forgetting to refrain from speaking Tagalog in public.
“All of us share so much more than just the night sky. We are not that far from one another if we choose not to be.
I was 19 years old when this happened. I was 19 and standing at 4’11, facing off against a woman who towered over me. I was filled with confusion and terror as
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For weeks, a recurring thought played through my head, “No matter how long I’ve lived in Canada, I will always be the ‘other.’”
Before I came to Canada, things like the colour of my skin or being Filipino hardly even crossed my realm of consciousness. However, moving to Canada put me on the receiving end of many racial attacks, like the train incident mentioned above. These experiences abruptly grabbed me out of my bubble as I quickly learned that my Filipino face marks me apart from others. I do not look like the conventional “Canadian.” As a result of my experiences as a female Filipino immigrant in Canada, I
