I, Too, Am Canada: Celebrating Asian Heritage Month 2021

CRRF celebrates the contributions of all Asian Canadians this Asian Heritage Month.

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation honoured to celebrate Asian Heritage Month with all Canadians. From the arts to science to politics and academia, Asian Canadians have been influential contributors to the diverse Canadian mosaic for over three hundred years. We have a direct connection to the Asian community. CRRF was born out of the advocacy and decades-long fight for justice for Japanese Canadians who were wrongfully interned and forcibly relocated at the height of the Second World War simply because of their ethnicity. The tireless work of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, led by our former director and current board member, Art Miki, is why the CRRF can serve the public today.

To celebrate the over 60 Asian ethnicities represented in Canada, CRRF has curated a list of 31 one of the most dynamic and prolific Canadians of Asian origin for you to learn more about over May. Some of the names will be very familiar to you, and others may be lesser-known. Of one thing we are sure, you will come away with a level of pride and gratitude for how they have made this country a better place.

Though we will take the next 31 days to acknowledge how much Asian Canadians have shaped Canada, we must also acknowledge the discrimination they have, and currently face. The COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced past pain and reopened the old wounds of racism and xenophobia toward the Asian population. To recognize this, we have produced an awareness video featuring Asian Canadian first responders who, while tasked with the herculean responsibility of saving lives from a deadly pandemic, must also contend with racist attacks due to their Asian ethnicity. This campaign, entitled I, Too, Am Canada, is meant to remind us to never return to a place of hate and to always ensure we move forward into a place of tolerance and acceptance.  This campaign will be shared on all of CRRF's social media accounts.

Finally, CRRF will host an enlightening conversation with Asian Canadian journalists from across the country that will focus on the role of the media in shaping both positive and negative narratives around Asian ethnicity in Canada. In addition, CRRF is proud to announce that it will be a sponsor for the Reel Asian Film Festival's Until Tomorrow social media campaign to celebrate the Reel Asian Film Festival's 25th anniversary.

We hope you will enjoy this celebration and share the resources we will provide with your community. We must take the time to celebrate each other, learn about one another and take pride in the part we have all played in Canadian history regardless of our racial, ethnic or religious identity because we are all Canada!