I think that statement will mean something special to each person who hears it. I don't want to completely speak over how it may touch her, but to me it means that I don't feel as Canadian as everybody else. I don't feel safe when I walk the streets. I remember I was thinking about how a few years ago, after we tragically lost the Afzaal family, no one wanted to go on walks anymore. Everyone was scared to leave the house. In the past year, with the increase of Islamophobic incidents and anti-Palestinian racism, we have seen that increase significantly.
It's really heartbreaking to know that we are not supported and we are not protected. We have to use the buddy system. For the past few months, we've had to use the buddy system just walking from one building to the next on campus. It means that we consistently have to go out of our way to look out for ourselves, because we're not being looked out for by our representatives, by the people who are supposed to be speaking for us and protecting us.