Posted at 8:00 a.m.
When she was younger, Lisa-Marie Gervais loved talking with her grandmothers. “I think people older than me have a lot to say. […] I find it terrible that we don’t hear the voices of these people who, one day, are going to leave, “said the journalist from the daily. The duty.
It is with the idea of ensuring the transmission of knowledge and experience of “older voices” that Lisa-Marie Gervais proposed to the publishing house Atelier 10 the creation of the “Transmission” collection. His particuliarity ? Each title will be available in two versions: one for adults, the other for young people aged 10 and over.
To launch the collection, the choice fell on Françoise David, a woman who is unanimous, according to Lisa-Marie Gervais.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The illustrations for the children’s book are by Marie-Noëlle Hébert.
Hesitation
The main interested party initially hesitated before accepting this project. A hesitation that lasted the time of a coffee, and not days, she hastens to clarify. “Lisa-Marie is convincing. »
Why this moment of hesitation before embarking on the adventure? When the project was presented to her in 2018, Françoise David was 70 years old. She writes radio columns and is active in the New Democracy Movement, which campaigns for a reform of the voting system. “I know that I am of a certain age, but at that time I did not see myself as someone whose time has come to transmit,” she explains.
Moreover, “unlike Lisa-Marie, I’m not sure that, for me, the word of the grandparents was so important when I was little,” she adds.
Françoise David therefore wondered how the young people for whom the book is intended would receive this kind of transmission. Above all, she didn’t want to give them lessons.
“A life story”
A great moment in the life of Françoise David – The March of Bread and Roses is nothing to preach about. There we meet a young Françoise David who lends a hand to mothers of poor families. We discover his passion for travel. We see the birth of her militant and feminist fiber. But above all, we follow the deployment of this great women’s march which brought about significant changes in Quebec, such as the adoption of the Pay Equity Act.
“It’s a life story, ultimately. And it’s true that it’s interesting to read life stories,” sums up Françoise David.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Francoise David
Lisa-Marie Gervais notes that through the story of the Bread and Roses march, beautiful values are transmitted to young people: commitment, perseverance and solidarity, in particular.
It was also very important for Françoise David that the book reflect the fact that she did not lead this fight alone. “This march would never have taken place, first of all, if there hadn’t been 850 women to walk for 10 days. Secondly, without other hundreds of women to organize everything in the regions, and that very often on a voluntary basis. […] I was very keen, in both books, to pay tribute to these people, ”she explains.
On Marie-Noëlle Hébert’s illustrations, some of which were inspired by photos from the time, we recognize women who took part in the movement, such as Manon Massé and France Castel.
If there’s one thing I want to convey in my life, it’s that it’s together that we succeed.
Francoise David
At the end of the book, she addresses a word to young people: “Don’t listen to those who tell you to be realistic, not to ask too much. Dare to dream, get together. You have the right to live on a beautiful planet! The future will be beautiful if you build it together. »
Asked about this message, which she dedicates in particular to her granddaughter Éva, she adds: “It’s always easier to identify the problems. They are there in front of us. Take the trouble to imagine solutions. Believe in it and don’t be stopped by those who will tell you [qu’]you have to be reasonable. Dare to dream. »
A great moment in the life of Françoise – The March of Bread and Roses
Text by Lisa-Marie Gervais, illustrations by Marie-Noëlle Hébert
Workshop 10
From 10 years old
A new kind of biography
Released at the same time as the children’s book, From the heart to the fight, Françoise David in five steps, looks back on five pivotal moments in the life of the former politician. Written in “I” from a series of interviews conducted by journalist Lisa-Marie Gervais, this new kind of biography shows the successes, but also the setbacks, of the feminist activist. Preview, in two extracts.
The mother of the family
“I have immense respect for educators in daycare. I find them extraordinary. I didn’t have their patience. It’s not because I was a mother that I wanted to take care of my child full time. In my personal life as in my public life, I have never missed an opportunity to defend the right of women to return to the labor market. Who decreed that a good mother should be a full-time mother? It’s funny, we don’t ask that of fathers! »
The feminist
“Feminism has been, and remains, the great fight of my life. I became a feminist late, in my early thirties. […] Even though things are moving forward, sexism still exists, albeit in subtle ways, which makes it almost more pernicious. It’s high time that men stood up and said to each other: ‘You don’t treat a woman like that. This is what I wish. »
From heart to combat – Françoise David in five stages
Lisa-Marie Gervais
Workshop 10
127 pages