Statement and Resources for the Asian community
The month of May marks Asian Heritage Month and is a time for us to come together and celebrate the history and contributions that people from the Asian community have made. The Asian student population at the University of Ottawa has made a positive impact on the academic, advocacy, social and cultural fabric of our campus.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the rise of anti-Asian racism and violence against the Asian community. The University of Ottawa is not exempt from the anti-Asian sentiment either. Recently, the professor of a management course at the University of Ottawa “jokingly” accused Asian students in the class of “writing to their Chinese minister” and that all Chinese students in her class are “spies”. Saying “it’s a joke” is not a defence for racism, and we want to condemn any form of discrimination and violence against the Asian community.
We believe that the solution to systemic racism against Asian and other racialized communities must include solidarity across racial and ethnic lines. Thus, we have compiled a list of resources for the Asian community and allies to report hate crimes, get involved and educate. Our Racialized and Indigenous Student Centre (RISE) is also posting features and infographics about Asian history and anti-Asian racism throughout the month of May.
It is not enough to simply condemn racism; we need to join forces and stand in solidarity with the Asian-Canadian community to be actively anti-racist.
How to help
If you are a victim or witness of a hate crime, you can report the incident at Canadian Anti-racism network (you may choose to remain anonymous). If English or French is not your first language, you can report a hate crime in your mother tongue at:
- (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog) Elimin8hate
- (Chinese and Japanese): Fight COVID Racism
Organizations and Resources
- Project 1907: A space for diasporic Asians to understand our histories and identities.
- Chinese Canadian National Council For Social Justice (CCNC-SJ)
- Union of North American Vietnamese Students Associations (UNAVSA)
- Act2EndRacism: Coalition of community groups of Asian descent, offers resources in English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog.
- Butterfly: support network for sex workers, social workers, legal and health professionals to provide support and information to Asian and migrant sex workers.
- Asian Mental Health Collective: Destigmatize mental health in the Asian community. They also have the list of Asian-Canadian therapists.
- The Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic offers free legal services to low-income non-English speaking individuals from Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian communities in Ontario. They provide advice regarding tenants’ and workers’ rights, immigration status, and access to government programs and benefits related to COVID-19.
Media
Letter to the editor: We must denounce anti-Asian racism: https://thefulcrum.ca/opinions/letter-to-the-editor-we-must-denounce-anti-asian-racism/