Interview with Candy Srour : Dialoguing, Sharing, and Acting Against Prejudices

Can you present the mission of Language of Women and the values that have guided your work since the association’s creation?

The primary mission of Language of Women is to fight against racism, antisemitism, and all forms of prejudice present in French society. This struggle is at the heart of everything we do. Since its creation, the association has been based on the commitment of three women who, each in her own way, have devoted a significant part of their lives to these issues: Suzanne Nakache, Samia Essaba, and Anne-Marie Revcolevski.

Our approach is built on simple but fundamental values, such as dialogue, encounter, and respect for others.

Over the years, we have observed that when women are given the opportunity to meet, speak, and listen to each other in a safe space, many misunderstandings and barriers naturally fall away. Suddenly, what once seemed insurmountable or foreign becomes understandable. This dynamic transforms not only the way each woman perceives others but also how she responds to forms of hatred or discrimination she encounters in her daily life.

Our association is therefore a space where women come to reflect, learn, and sometimes deconstruct themselves, always in a climate of respect and kindness. Every woman, regardless of her background, can find a place and a way to act.

Memory plays a central role in your activities, particularly through the Reading of Names on Yom HaShoah or your visits to museums and memorials. Why are these initiatives essential for you, and what impact do you observe on the women who participate?

Memory is one of the pillars of our work. We strongly believe that to build a peaceful future, one must understand the mechanisms that led to crimes and systems of hatred in the past. This is why we engage with multiple memories: those of slavery, colonization, genocides, and of course the Holocaust.

These moments of remembrance bring together very different women around a shared goal: understanding the roots of systemic violence in order to better fight it today. This work, sometimes emotionally challenging, often generates powerful moments of awareness.

Every year, and on several occasions with the support of the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation, we organize a memory trip to Auschwitz, attended by 180 women. This requires a significant commitment, with departures at 5 a.m. and returns at midnight, sometimes in the middle of winter. Yet the diversity of the group is striking, with 13-year-old teenagers alongside women over 80, from all religions and social backgrounds.

The impact of this trip is very concrete. For example, a young Moroccan woman who arrived in France without ever having heard of the Holocaust was profoundly affected by visiting the sites. She wrote long notes in Arabic throughout the day, planning to have her sons translate them to pass on what she had seen and understood. She told us that when she hears racist or antisemitic remarks at the hair salon, she will now be able to testify: “Look at what happened. Do you know this story?”

This personal transformation is exactly what we aim to inspire, turning memory into a force for action and a tool for civic vigilance.

Our visits are not limited to Auschwitz. We also go to the Drancy Memorial, where most Jews from France were deported, and to the Nantes Slavery Museum, to understand how the history of the slave trade shaped our country and continues to influence our perceptions. All of these visits are often free, as we want money never to be a barrier.

Language of Women brings together women from very diverse cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. In a context marked by the spread and normalization of hate speech, how do you manage to create a space of trust, safety, and mutual listening within your association?

Trust is built according to a simple principle, where encounter and listening already represent a large part of the journey.

Every activity—whether a conference, dinner, visit, or trip—is designed to bring women together around a common subject. This shared anchor point makes dialogue easier.

At Language of Women, difference is not an obstacle. We often repeat that disagreement is not a problem; it is part of the group’s richness.

What matters is respecting the other person’s position, experiences, and history. We emphasize to participants that they can disagree while sharing a common mission: to fight racism, antisemitism, and prejudice.

Many women arrive with their own preconceptions, sometimes holding prejudices they have never questioned. But when they meet other women, learn their stories, and discover their realities, barriers fall. It is slow work, but extremely powerful.

This dynamic of encounter is even stronger when connected to the shared goal of raising children in a world where hatred has no place. This motivation resonates deeply with all participants, regardless of their backgrounds.

France is experiencing a worrying rise in antisemitic acts and a normalization of anti-Muslim racism. What impact does this have on your association, and how do you act to strengthen tolerance?

We are indeed witnessing an alarming increase in these phenomena. They concern the women who participate in our activities, and we often hear them express fear or confusion in response to certain public discourses.

In response, we clearly affirm our approach, emphasizing education and encounter. We encourage women not to give in to fatalism. When one is willing to listen to the other’s story, perceptions change. And when perceptions change, behavior follows.

Recently, we organized a conference with journalist Linh-Lan Dao on anti-Asian racism. Participants realized that they had often absorbed, without realizing it, prejudices spread through humor, school, or the media. For instance, one young woman recounted how her teachers didn’t understand why she wasn’t “good at math,” because “Chinese people are good at math,” which sparked deep reflection among the group. These moments are essential for learning to recognize the stereotypes present in our societies.

We also organize conferences with figures such as Youssef Badr, a magistrate at the Bobigny Court, who shared his personal journey and the obstacles he faced due to his origins and social background. These exchanges allow participants to understand the realities of others and open rich discussions.

Through all these activities, we convey a simple but fundamental message: understanding comes through knowing the other, and knowing the other is only possible if one is willing to meet them.

We are aware that French society has not healed from these ills, and that these forms of hatred are increasing. But every day, we work to rebuild connections, encourage reflection, and place encounter at the center.

And when we see 180 women of all ages and backgrounds walking together in Auschwitz, we understand that this work is not only necessary but profoundly transformative.

Interview conducted by Cristina ASENSI RODRIGUEZ – Communication Apprentice at the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation.