From soldier to nurse on the first line of the Covid-19 emergency
Raisa Labaran is 29 years, born in Brescia, by a Ghanaian mother and a Nigerian father. She is a nurse who works in the same hospital where she was born, where and started her career within a sub-unit COVID and currently works in exactly one COVID emergency unit.
– Dear Raisa, it has fallen to you to start your career as a nurse in the year 2020, but what did you dream of becoming when you were little?
"As a child, I wanted to become a soldier, to be in the army and work in a military hospital. After the year 2001 I started to change my mind, thinking it can be difficult especially for a woman. Later I fell in love with nursing, and the nursing profession.
– What difficulties did you encounter during your trip, you probably had, or not?
"Some difficulties have to do with the color of my skin, others with the fact that I am a woman and others with the Islamic veil. If it is not for a reason, is for the other.
Sometimes even all together, as difficult as it may be. I was once turned down during the selection for a job opportunity because of the hijab, as is the case with many veiled girls. In other cases, the discriminating factor has the color of my skin, whose admission came a little later to Italy.
also, my identity as a woman has influenced my path, BECAUSE, despite gender inequality in health's is more lenient than in other areas of work, in Italy there is still a lot to do ".
– It will not have been easy for sure, but what has been your support to move forward?
"My mother, of course: without thinking I would have left this kind of profession years ago. She taught me everything: from perseverance to the pride of being a woman, from the fact that you can do everything to the importance of knowledge. I have always seen my mother reading and attending courses. When there is an obstacle, she reinvented herself every time: to me she is an example. My support and strength. Mentor's name, my pillar.
– Do you have any other example of a woman you admire and follow?
An image that has always fascinated me and helped me on my path to awareness about being a black woman, ishte Rosa Park.
My mother gave me her biography and although at first I did not want to read life stories of black celebrities, that book amazed me and opened up a world to me. I thought I could be a Rosa Park too, doing what I can in my modest way.
– What advice would you give to those who still have all the way up??
When I put the handkerchief on the age 18 see, at the end of high school, I have not become remorseful, on the contrary! "The scarf is part of our identity, and my advice is not to give up our identity and keep our principles to the end.
One day I saw the announcement of a service opportunity at a clinic. My mother insisted so strongly that I was forced to apply and appeared for the interview. Chairman of the jury for the selection, called my last name. When I raised my hand saying: “Po, it's me!”, He told me: "I was expecting a Venetian lady, with this adjective!Rent brenda, interviews were conducted and, in the end, he asked me: "For, would you be willing to wear a hoodie instead of your scarf?”.
I glanced at him and replied ironically: "Already, Look, the hood under the scarf can also be placed on top if desired, but not "instead of"! "It's not a problem for me at all."
They called me again after a while, announcing that they had chosen me, along with three other boys, of the fifty candidates who had applied for selection.
During service, such an interview team, who asked me: "Do you know why you passed the selection test? BECAUSE, when I asked if you were willing to remove the headscarf, you refused with full courage ".
You're hot, I did not expect. He explained to me: "For me, people need to be determined in their choices, and you showed that you are not ready to corrupt your principles for an opportunity like this. ”
I was really happy, because this episode proved to me how important it is to be confident about our choices and principles. ever, we covered girls hinder themselves by setting up some barriers themselves, but we should not start with this idea.
certainly, sometimes it happens that you find difficulty, but you have to face life with courage. Your true identity always prevails over how many people see you on the surface, for better or for worse. "/ muslimania.a /