Asian settlers arrived in Canada three centuries ago. They came as builters, building trading posts, railroads and all sort of things this country has needed. However, anti-Asian racism, manifested in early governments’ legistlations or hidden on some people’s minds till today, has never stopped. According to a joint-research by the University of Toronto and Ryerson University published in 2017, compared to applicants with Anglo names, Asian-named applicants with all-Canadian qualifications had 20% fewer calls from big companies for an interview, and almost 40% less calls from mid and small sized employers. In the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes against Asians have risen at a stunning rate. In 2020, Toronto saw a 275% increase in hate crimes against Asians, and the country’s highest number went to Vancouver with a more than 7-fold increase compared to the previous year. {1}{2}
Racism imposes unfairness, and agonies to those who are discriminated against. It damages the justice, humanity and progression of our society as a whole. Not to mention the dangers hate crimes cause. Why is this anti-Asian racism lingering in our history? What is it like to live with it as an Asian immigrant? More importantly, how to deal with it, at an individual level as well as a community level? What we can do to prevent or minimize the harm of a hate crime? Or to some people, what is a hate incident or crime in the first place, and how to respond?
In this month East&West Dialogue, retired high school principal Roy Hu and Constable Haining Zhou will share their experience and expertise to answer the above questions and more.
Guest Speaker Introduction
Roy Hu came to Canada from Taiwan when he was nine years old, not even knowing his ABCs. Through a lot of struggles and personal growth, Roy has established himself as an inspirational educator for over 30 years, and an expert in building relationships and developing people. He retired from the principal position at the Agincourt Collegiate Institute (ACI) in 2017, and is an education consultant now in Toronto. Under his leadership, the ACI, the oldest public school in Scarborough, had experienced a renaissance in teacher-led initiatives in technology, equity and inclusiveness, wellness and mental health, environmental awareness, and student voice. Before he entered the educational sector, Roy was a successful professional in the financial industry. The turn of his career path came to light literally after a racist incident. You can read some of Roy’s interesting stories here:
http://www.eawlc.org/story-wednesday-night-dialogue-roy-mira
Haining Zhou came from mainland China over 20 years ago. He completed his undergraduate degree in Justice Study and a graduate degree in Leadership in the University of Guelph, and has had a wide range of work experience in both private and public sectors. Since 2008, he has served for the York Regional Police (YRP), working for different units, including Uniform, Criminal Investigation Bureau, and Special Investigation units. Currently he is in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bureau. During the Pandemic, he was assigned to Hate Crime Unit to back up the dealing of the surge in hate incident and crimes against Asians in the region. As A gold medal award-winning performer at the YRP, Haining has spent a great deal of time on safety and equity education for the community. He wrote a police column for Singtao Newspaper from 2017 to 2018, and has appeared on behalf of the YRP in interviews on TV numerous times. He is also in charge of the YRP WeChat platform to serve the Chinese Community on the Sociall media.
We are very grateful to Roy and Haining for volunteering their time to discuss on this important issue with us. Everyone is welcome to join us, and bring your own questions to have a dialogue with our esteemed guest speakers!
Time: Friday April 30, 2021 at 7:30 – 9 P.M. (Eastern Time)
Language: English (Mandarin and Cantonese translation can be provided if needed)
Cost: Free
Please register here to receive Zoom meeting information. Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvduGurzwpH9KDL9yFo73b9–9rC61Zquq
Zoom room will open at 7:15 P.M.
For inquiries, please send email to: info@eawlc.org. Thanks!
We look forward to meeting you this coming Friday!
Notes:
{1} Hidden Hate: Anti-Asian Racism | Global News special, April 24, 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2904Wf-ShSI
{2} Asian job seekers face disadvantage even when they have higher degrees, study finds, Nicholas Keung, The Star, January 25, 2017: