A play that uses the real experiences of immigrant women to show the challenges they face is coming back to McMaster for a free performance on Feb. 28, for one day only.

We are Not the Others uses the real words and experiences recounted by women in a study examining how gender relations and intimate partner violence, intergenerational tensions, acculturation, trauma, loss and ongoing political fear, and economic exclusion impacts immigrant women’s mental health and socio-economic integration to the Hamilton community.

The play was developed by Mirna Carranza, associate professor in McMaster’s School of Social Work, in partnership with Nora López, coordinator, Emergency Support Committee for Refugees; Ines Ríos, executive director of the Immigrants Working Centre; and María Antelo, co-ordinator of community development at the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic.

As part of the study, the researchers interviewed service providers, families and women immigrants, many of whom shared their experiences of reception in formal and informal settings, such as schools and grocery stores, and spoke about their experiences of racism and marginalization.

The play used their spoken words, including their laughter and sorrow, to depict their challenges and hopes. It was co-created with immigrant women themselves, as a way to bring their knowledge and stories to a wider audience.

The play was performed in Hamilton at the Hamilton Fringe Festival, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and in London, Toronto and Scarborough, with the goal of fostering understanding of the experiences of women immigrants and helping to improve the reception of newcomers.

We Are Not The Others received the inaugural President’s Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship in the fall, in recognition of the strong partnership between researchers and the greater community.

A free performance of We Are Not The Others is open to the public on Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall in L.R Wilson Hall on the McMaster Campus.