Asian Heritage Month

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May is the official month of celebrating Asian-diasporic peoples in Canada and their diverse cultures, reflecting on their history and achievements, and recognizing the contributions they have and continue to give to the country.

The theme for this year’s Asian Heritage Month is: “Unity in Diversity: The Impact of Asian Communities in Shaping Canadian Identity”.

Over the last 2 centuries, immigrants from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western, Central and Southeast Asia have arrived in Canada, building and strengthening the communities we are grateful to be a part of today.

However, we also want to take the time to recognize the historical oppression Asian Canadians have faced.

There were many discriminatory policies and laws placed against Asian Canadians, and such significant historical events include: the Chinese Head Tax and subsequent Exclusion Act, Japanese interment, and the Komagata Maru (Guru Nanak Jahaz) incident.

Despite systemic and personal discrimination that continues to exist today, as shown in the rise of anti-Asian hate during COVID-19 and the persisting problem of Islamophobia, Asian Canadians have achieved incredible things.

Some distinguished Asian Canadians you may have already heard of are: David Suzuki, a notable environmental activist; Baljit Sethi, a recipient of the Order of British Columbia; Mahmud Jamal, a jurist appointed in the Supreme Court; Naranjan Singh Grewal, the first Sikh councillor in North America; Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th Governor General of Canada; Raymond Moriyama, the architect who designed the Canadian War Museum; and Vivienne Poy, the first Asian senator of Canada from 1998 to 2012, and the one who proposed the month of May to be officially recognized for Asian Heritage Month.

Alexander College also encourages you to reflect on the meaningfulness of this occasion and attend related events in the community.

Get involved!

Learn More

Canada.ca: Significant events in the history of Asian communities in Canada
Douglas College: Paldi
Historica Canada: Nitro
Heritage BC: Cultural Maps
Hastings Park 1942: Japanese Canadian Interment at Hastings Park (PNE)
CMHR: Japanese Canadian internment and the struggle for redress
Royal Alberta Museum: Chinese Head Tax: George Yee’s Story
Hua Foundation: Unpacking the Model Minority Myth
Harvard Business Review: Bringing Caste into the DEI Conversation
Knowledge Network: British Columbia: An Untold History
Angus Reid Institute: Blame, bullying and disrespect: Chinese Canadians reveal their experiences with racism during COVID-19
Canada.ca: The Canadian Guide to Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia
UBC: Anti-Racism Resources
Faces of Racism: Anti-Asian Racism
Unite For Change: Asian Heritage Month and Canada’s History of Anti-Asian Racism

Reference List

Heritage, C. (2021, April 26). May is Asian Heritage Month.
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month.html

Government of Canada. (2024, May 1). Significant Events in the History of Asian Communities in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/important-events.html