Response By
Eaman Fahmy
Block Parent Program of Canada Sign, 1980s
plastic Anonymous Gift, 2015
Participants in the Block Parent Program, spearheaded first in Canada by the London Council of Jewish Women in 1968, displayed the Block Parent sign at their residences to indicate a police-screened, safe site for community members in distress, particularly children.
Response
I am immediately struck by the assumptions reflected in the Block Parent sign. Assumptions of gender roles. Assumptions of gender expression. And most of all, assumptions of whiteness. I
am reminded of the term “mythical norm,” a term coined by Audre Lorde in her book Age, Race, Class and Sex (1984), where certain identities are held up as the norm and exert power to maintain the status quo. Those outside of these norms are marginalized and othered.
Eaman Fahmy is the Inclusive Program Designer for Pillar, an organization that works to enhance accountability within the non-profit sector. She has developed, coordinated and led sessions on the misconceptions of Islam, and on the impact of Islamophobia. Fahmy has delivered training on anti-oppression, equity and inclusion. She also volunteers with the Community Engagement Committee of the Muslim Association of Canada, London Chapter.