Waterloo celebrates HeForShe writing contest winners | Waterloo News

Gender equality requires a global effort â one that takes the force of everyone who wants to make a change.

The University of Waterloo is proud to be one of the leading institutions in achieving gender equity. As a partner of the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10, Waterloo closely monitors and improves the framework that encourages gender equality and the empowerment of women across campus and beyond. To honour this commitment, every March, Waterloo runs the HeForShe writing contest ahead of International Women’s Day. Students, staff, faculty and alumni are invited to share stories about their hope for social change.

“These talented writers and poets inside this year’s anthology have already added so much to our community,” says Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor. “Their voices have broadened our perspectives and I congratulate each of the winners and all of our newly published writers on their wonderful pieces.”

This year’s theme was LEGACY. Authors were encouraged to consider how the idea of legacy brings us to the present and how our choices today will impact generations to come.

“The diverse stories and experiences within this year’s Anthology highlight how far we have come, but also remind us of the work required to ensure an equitable future for all,” says Diana Parry, associate vice-president Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion. “This writing contest is a catalyst to begin and continue important conversations and action around gender equity, and I am deeply thankful for all who have contributed to this and past editions. Our campus is indebted to you for sharing your experiences.”

Judges from the University of Waterloo selected four winners, each of whom were awarded with a $500 prize. Winners are recognized at Waterloo’s International Women’s Day Dinner held annually at Federation Hall. This year’s event will take place on Friday, March 6.

Category winners include:

Poetry

"DEAR SON" BY ANNA WANG, FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS STUDENT

Dear son, our family has not been very fortunate

Famine, war, pain, we have seen the worst of it

Though we were never rich, we always stay true

To our principles, traditions, faith, and virtues

Dear son, you must carry on our family name

Or your ancestors would have died in vain

You must live to bring honour to your family

So one day your own son can live on happily

Dear son, you will be our only chance

For our quality of life to advance

Raising you will be our life’s purpose

One day, you will make our sacrifices worth it

Dear son, I know this is wrong to say

But when I saw you, my heart broke right away I knew that my legacy would be no longer

Because that was the day I was handed a daughter

Non-Fiction

"CONTENTS OF A JEWELLERY BOX", AN ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTION BY A STUDENT

The first time I opened the jewellery box myself was when

I was eleven. I don’t remember the circumstances that led me

to ask my mother whether I could or not, but I remember she

had a deep smile on her face, one that touched her eyes and

formed creases on her cheeks. We both washed our hands and

sat on the bed. Once opened, I touched all the old newspaper

wrappings. It smelt of anise and cardamom. I took the

first piece of jewellery out, a pair of pearl earrings. My

grandmother had these made the last day she ever spent in

India, knowing she would never return. She never wore the

earrings in her lifetime. She spent her last bit of wealth on

having them made and then stored them away so that one

day I could wear them.

My grandmother suffered. Both of my grandmothers did.

And they never talked about it. It’s hard for me to face their

suffering. The part of me shaped by the western ideals I live

in finds their suffering shameful because it is rooted in their

oppression, even if in their ignorance they did not consider

themselves oppressed. The part of me that, when thinking

about “meaningful touch,” jumps to the thought of the

jewellery box, is ashamed of myself. Perhaps it is the guilt of

being the first woman in my family to suffer less than those

before me. Perhaps it is the guilt of feeling superior in intellect

and skill. Perhaps it’s the catharsis of understanding that my

grandmothers chose to suffer because if they did not, I would

not have the privilege to look down upon them today.

Additional submissions have been published and can be found in the printed anthology outside the W Store and the Writing and Communication Centre. To read the anthology online, please visit the HeforShe homepage.

About the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative

HeForShe is a global effort to engage men and boys in removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls from achieving their potential, and together positively reshaping society. The United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women created the initiative and hosted an official launch in September 2014 with UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson.

As part of this initiative, the framework involves 10 heads of state, 10 CEOs and 10 university presidents to advance gender equity. Waterloo is currently the only Canadian organization involved in the IMPACT 10x10x10 framework.