Ravida Din is currently living in Ottawa and has been involved with the feminist community for over six years. She is committed to building a movement with and for women of colour as well as consistently challenging feminism to develop and incorporate a race and class analysis into all aspects of itself.

  1. Since this article was written, the sanctions on Freed & Freed have been removed. EIC announced in July that the company had developed an acceptable employment equity work plan and was once more eligible to bid on federal contracts.

  2. Copies of employers' reports are available in libraries across Canada, listed at all Employment Centres.

References

Abella, Judge Rosalie Silberman. Equality in Employment: A Royal Commission Report. Ottawa: Canadian Government Publishing Centre, 1984.

Din, Ravida. "Is Employment Equity Working?" The Womanist, Dec. 1988.



(for my brother)

I

with a grunt of irritation
you condescend to be interrupted
and move your chair back a bit
so can i crawl
under your desk
(the one that dad built special for you
now that you're at university)
so I can dust the baseboards
as is my job
(I've already done the rest of your room)

i'm quiet
careful not to disturb
because it's hard stuff, important stuff
you're doing
(i'm still only in high school

but you're at university now
it must be harder
you're only getting 60s)
i turn around in the cramped space
on my hands and knees
and see your feet

i think about washing them

i think about binding them

II

the guidance counsellor pauses
and then discourages
"philosophy's a very difficult field"
and thought
(no, not then, later)
i thought, she's telling the kid
who has the top marks in the school
it's too difficult?

III

it's true
i just find it easier
besides compared to business
philosophy is such a bird course

no, that's a lie:
I'm smarter
and I work harder-
while you're out with your friends
Friday nights
i'm at work
because my summer job didn't pay enough
to cover the whole year
and while you're watching tv
i'm at work
(at ten o'clock
after six hours of lectures
and just as many of typing and filing)
i move the set
so i can crawl
into the corner
to dust the baseboards
you lean and yell in irritation
because i'm in your way

because i'm in your way

chris wind
Sundridge, Ontario


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