Written by Malissa Phung

On December 6, 2001 the Canadian government adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy to officially declare the month of May to be Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

Since 2002, in major cities across the nation, cultural festivals, art and photography exhibitions, film screenings, lectures, literary readings, theatrical performances, documentaries, and radio shows have been produced throughout the month of May to not only bring attention to the histories of marginalization and oppression of Asian migrants and their descendants but also to commemorate the achievements and contributions of Asian Canadians to Canada’s national building project.

While it is important to both remember these histories of oppression and acknowledge the marginalized labour of Asian migrants as important contributions to Canada’s economic infrastructure and national heritage,  it is equally important to not lose sight of Canada’s ongoing settler colonial policies towards Indigenous peoples and to remain vigilant of the ways in which Canadian multiculturalism disciplines and manages difference even as it openly supports such efforts to address and correct historical injustices.

As admirable as such efforts to commemorate the culture and history of Asian migrants are, recent backlash against “illegal” migrants or potential “terrorists” across the globe indicate that achieving human equality is far from being realized.  We need to be wary of the ways in which history repeats itself.  In the words of Rita Wong from her poetry collection, Monkeypuzzle, “now head taxes apply/to all immigrants/not just us”—that is, in the form of landing fees.

For more information on Asian heritage in Canada, check out the following links:

• Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Cultural Heritage (launched by the Asian Heritage Month-Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture Inc.)
• 2010 Asian Heritage Month Festival Events in GTA (there are still exhibitions being held throughout May; most notably, Wayson Choy is delivering the 3rd Asian Heritage Lecture, “Asian Identity: Becoming Canadian” at York University on May 25)
• CBC radio and video programs
• Asian Arts Freedom School (an art-based radical Asian history and activism program for Asians/Pacific Islanders in the GTA under the age of 30.  They hold creative writing, media, and performance workshops with a heavy focus on community activism and Indigenous solidarity.  Cycle 10 of their creative writing workshop has already started and ends June 1!)

Written by Sharlee Reimer

On April 23, 2010, some deeply disturbing racist legislation was passed in Arizona: Senate Bill 1070. The new legislation, allegedly intended to curb illegal immigration, makes it law that police officers must ask for immigration papers from anyone who they suspect might be in the state illegally. If a person cannot produce these papers, they can be detained. How, you might be wondering, would the police know who might be ‘an illegal’? Though the Arizona government is saying that it will not be racially profiling people, many of the people who oppose the legislation argue that the police will inevitably racially profile, judging people by looks and accented speech.

There have been widespread protests about and criticisms of this legislation—it has been criticized for encouraging racial profiling, for being racist, and has been likened to Nazi practices. There have also been a number of boycotts of Arizona. This legislation exists in conjunction with a new education policy, House Bill 2281, that will likely eliminate ethnic studies departments and programs in schools and universities. And just so that we don’t forget the role of Canada in terrifying racist practices, there have been a number of anti-immigration raids in Toronto of late (see No One Is Illegal).

For more sources on these issues, check out the following links:

• Arizona legislation (nytimes article)
• Racialicious response to Arizona legislation (April post; May post)
• HB 2281 and SB 1070 (dissident voice post)

Written by Malissa Phung

Dr. Juliet Daniel has been organizing an on-campus event, Visions of Science Outreach, for Saturday, May 29, 2010.  This day-long program of activities and talks aims at inspiring and motivating underprivileged youths in Hamilton to learn more about science and hopefully to work towards careers in science in the future.  If you are interested in volunteering with the set-up of the program, please email Dr. Juliet Daniel at danielj@mcmaster.ca.