Montreal, Canada - The International Day of Families forum at Hotel Ruby Foos in Montreal on May 16 included a talk given by Ambassador for Peace John Linden on the challenges of intercultural and inter-racial marriage. Mr. Linden, who is married to a woman from the Philippines, said, "Underneath all the differences due to culture, religion, social class, etc., we find common ground in our core beliefs which transcend all the superficial differences that have been passed on to us by the different families and countries we were born in."
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Rev. Samuel King-Kabu, a Christian pastor originally from Africa and married for almost 30 years to Susan, a white Canadian, explained that although they are held together by their common faith, there are plenty of challenges that stem from their vastly different heritages. "When considering the division of labor within our family, I find myself thinking that the man of the house should be the provider and provide the basic needs for a family, and the woman should take of the rest. I realize that this is a limited view in a Canadian context. How I was raised and what I learned in Ghana does not always translate in the context that I find myself in."
There were more comments and discussion by couples who were themselves in such relationships as well as two university students who were both born to inter-racial parents.
The message of the Secretary-General of the UN was read and a presentation of UPF's vision of the "Family as the School of Love" was shared with the participants.