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Unapologetically Asian: Asian Heritage – Celebration or Suppression?

3 minute read
Also authored by: Ashley Jacinto Maciuk

May 1st marked the start of Asian Heritage Month – a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of the six million Asians who make up 18% of the fabric of Canadian society. Diversely spanning from China to Lebanon to India to the Philippines, Asians have made numerous noteworthy contributions to Canadian society.

Regrettably, this month has not always been a month of celebration for me; but rather, a month of shame. For as long as I can remember, I invested a lot of energy into appearing “less Asian”. As a young dark-skinned Filipina, I was often singled out for the colour of my skin, the shape of my eyes, and the food that I ate. I quickly learned that if I changed the clothes I wore, the way I spoke, and the hobbies I pursued, people would speak less about my differences. On more than one occasion, I was told that I was enjoyable to spend time with because I was “not too Asian”. But, on another, I was spit on while walking down the street because I “don’t belong here”. It’s not surprising that as an adult, I was eager to take my Caucasian husband’s last name believing that it would make my name “stand out less” on paper and in my legal profession.

I believed that to fit into Canadian society I must suppress the Filipino and assimilate the Canadian.

Sadly, my experience is not singular. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing anti-Asian racism has been uncovered and amplified. Our news headlines are replete with reports of violent physical and verbal attacks towards Asian Canadians blamed for COVID-19. Enraged, many Asian Canadians have taken to social media to share their own experiences – many similar to my own – in order to remind society that Asians are not immune to racism nor the pressures of cultural suppression.

As we dedicate a month to celebrating Asian Canadian history, it is important to acknowledge that Canada’s history – our history – is not without blemish. A close look at our country’s history reveals the heartbreaking reality that the message to Asians has not always been to celebrate and embrace their heritage, but rather, to conceal it. In 1914, 352 South Asians aboard the Komagata Maru vessel were denied entry into Canada and forced to return to India. In 1923, Chinese students in British Columbia were segregated and not permitted to attend “white” schools. In 1942, the Canadian government detained and dispossessed more than 90% of Japanese Canadians into internment camps. Embedded into these actions was the prevailing discourse that Asian is different, and different does not belong.

Now, in 2021, the message to Asian Canadians should not be the same.

As a Filipina Canadian, my heritage is no longer a source of shame, but a source of strength. Community. Generosity. Resilience. These are the characteristics of the Filipino community that has shaped me, and the generations that walked before me. These are the characteristics of the 56 Asian cultures represented in Canada’s hospitals, schools, law firms, long-term care homes, restaurants, and homes. As nearly one in five Canadians is of Asian heritage, it is cause for celebration that the community, generosity, and resilience of our Canadian society is so richly influenced by Asian culture.

The space for cultural celebration needs to be protected. Without protecting the space for the unattenuated celebration of Asian culture and history, Asian Heritage Month will become a half-hearted and ingenuine effort to pay lip service to diversity.

How will you respond?

 

This is the first of a four-part blog series called, “Unapologetically Asian”, in which articling students at Lerners LLP will discuss lived experiences in honour of Asian Heritage Month.

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