Sharmarke Dubow couldnB次元官网网址檛 wait to vote in this yearB次元官网网址檚 municipal election; not only was he running in it, but it would be the first time in his whole life that he could vote.
B次元官网网址淚 was so excited I had to take a break from handing out my campaign flyers,B次元官网网址� Dubow said. B次元官网网址淵ou know how they say, B次元官网网址榚very vote countsB次元官网网址�, so I had to go practice my democracy.B次元官网网址�
Just hours later he found out he had been elected to Victoria city council.
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B次元官网网址淲hen I found out that I won I thought I would be strong, but I started crying you know, it was another huge achievement of my life, B次元官网网址� Dubow said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 such a privilege and an honour, we are a community as a country.B次元官网网址�
Dubow had never been able to take part in an election after fleeing his home country of Somalia when he was eight years old.
Escaping the civil war meant he would live as a refugee in camps and impermanent establishments for most of his life until he had a private sponsor from Winnipeg.
While his sponsorship began in 2010, he only arrived in Canada in 2012. He decided to use his new freedom to travel and explore the country, and found a home in Victoria.
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Since then he has immersed himself in the community working as refugee volunteer support services facilitator at the Inter-Cultural Association, as the co-chair of the Canadian Council for RefugeesB次元官网网址� settlement and integration working group, and as the president the of Victoria Coalition for Survivors of Torture, amongst many other groups.
In 2017 he became a citizen in the most Canadian way possible B次元官网网址� on Canada Day, on the countryB次元官网网址檚 150th anniversary at Government House.
He was quick to utilize his citizenB次元官网网址檚 right, and joined a slate of electoral candidates for the municipal election from a grassroots organization called Together Victoria, which also included Sarah Potts and Laurel Collins. All three of were elected to council Saturday.
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B次元官网网址淭hat shows our message of affordability, inclusiveness and striving for everyone must have resonated with Victoria,B次元官网网址� Dubow said. B次元官网网址淲e did deep listening, we went out there and engaged with the community, and what was more interesting is all walks of life and ages were part of the campaign.B次元官网网址�
Dubow said this resonated with an African philosophy known as B次元官网网址渦buntuB次元官网网址� which translates to B次元官网网址淚 am because we are.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 saying B次元官网网址業f IB次元官网网址檓 suffering, then my suffering is for everyone,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚 want to bring the ubuntu philosophy to city hall as a community to look after one another. ItB次元官网网址檚 not easy, IB次元官网网址檓 not minimizing the work aheadB次元官网网址� but IB次元官网网址檓 excited. IB次元官网网址檓 honoured and I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to get into the office and get to work.B次元官网网址�
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