Renate Gray liked this
My mum once insisted on wearing a sari in a chemistry lab in Scotland.
That’s who she was. Zero f*cks given.
She survived the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, moved across the world, became a scientist, and built a life and family here.
Now she lives with Alzheimer’s, and it’s my privilege to care for her after a lifetime of her caring for us.
Her story is a reminder that migration never happens in isolation.
People move because history moves them: war, empire, politics, economics. The forces that destabilise one place often help build another.
Pretending these things aren’t connected is convenient. It’s also utter bollocks.
Her life, as a survivor, immigrant, and scientist, is proof that immigrants don’t arrive empty-handed. They arrive with courage, skill, and the determination to build again.
This International Women’s Day, I’m thinking of her and every woman still fighting. These rights need to be protected now more than ever, and the world needs more humanity, not less.