New report on anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the experiences of members of Toronto’s Chinese Canadian community
Categories: Alumni + Friends, Izumi Sakamoto, Research
As we approach the third anniversary of the lockdown in Toronto — and the second anniversary of the murders in Atlanta that killed eight people, six of them women of Asian descent — a new report, released by the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) and Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto describes how anti-Asian racism has affected members of Toronto’s Asian communities before and during the pandemic.
The report 2020 in Hindsight: Intergenerational conversations on Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic fills a gap in community-based research focused on first-person accounts of experiences of anti-Asian racism and stories of resistance. It also clearly outlines Calls to Action — for governments, for schools, for those in the social work and human services fields, and others — to address anti-Asian racism on the ground.
> Click here to view the full report 2020 in Hindsight: Intergenerational conversations on Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic
“The alarming upsurge of anti-Asian racism during the pandemic has brought global attention to the violence facing the Asian diaspora, and thrusted members of the Asian Canadian community to speak out against racial injustice like not been seen before,” says Izumi Sakamoto, Associate Professor, FIFSW.
2020 in Hindsight is an important supplement to two national studies, released by CCNCTO and its partners in 2021 and 2022, which documented increased interpersonal racist attacks toward Asian communities across Canada during the pandemic.
“The new study’s in-depth conversational approach allowed researchers to look beyond the numbers and examine the harmful impacts of anti-Asian racism in people’s everyday life,” says Kennes Lin, Advisor on Anti-Asian Racism for the CCNCTO and FIFSW alumna. “Unfortunately, knowledge of how Chinese Canadians from different generations and socioeconomic positions experience anti-Asian racism has been sparse, and this lack of knowledge has made addressing the problem difficult.”
The community-based participatory study, which included an intergenerational group of Chinese Canadians, both new immigrants and those who were born here, revealed that experiences of anti-Asian racism are often nuanced, complex and difficult to talk about.
While the study’s participants reported that their experiences of anti-Asian racism were pervasive, they also shared that it was not always easy for them to voice what was happening in part due to pressures to conform to the stereotype of the model minority, which discourages one from vocalizing negative experiences. Some also worried that their experiences would not be considered valid, while others expressed that it was difficult to speak about experiences of racism with family members. These pressures, concerns and challenges contributed to a sense of “Wu Nai” or a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness among the participants.
“The experiences of the past three years and heightened awareness of racism have led to a desire to educate the public, engage in advocacy work and build solidarity with other Asian Canadian and racialized communities,” says Jessie Tang, Executive Director of CCNCTO. “The community members highlighted the need to engage in more advocacy work and awareness-raising initiatives to educate the public about the historical and current realities of anti-Asian Racism.”
Photo, top: Toronto Solidarity Rally Against Anti-Asian Hate. After the Atlanta Spa Mass Shootings on March 16, 2021, CCNCTO and other Asian-Canadian communities organized a rally at the Nathan Philips Square (Toronto City Hall) on March 28, 2021, to raise awareness about anti- Asian racism. Hundreds of supporters and allies gathered for the cause. At the microphones Jessie Tang (left) and Kennes Lin (right), both of CCNCTO. (Photo by Izumi Sakamoto)
The full report 2020 in Hindsight: Intergeneration conversations on Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic (English) is available for download here.
For a plain text print-friendly version (English): Click here.
Chinese language version: with images or plain text/print version
2020 in Hindsight authors: Izumi Sakamoto, Kennes Lin, Jessie Tang, Hogan Lam, Bernie Yeung, Amy Nhkum, Evelyn Cheung, Kedi Zhao, Patricia Quan
Related CCNCTO reports:
- Our Lives Are Essential: Chinese Canadian Frontline Workers Pandemic Report
- Another year: Anti-Asian Racism Across Canada Two Years into the COVID-19 Pandemic
- A year of Racists Attacks: Anti-Asian Racism Across Canada One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic
Media coverage
CBC:
CTV:
CP24
Fairchild TV (Cantonese)
- Master of Social Work student and report co-author Evelyn Cheung is interviewed.
Toronto Star
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Read the opinion piece by FIFSW alumnus and report co-author Hogan Lam, published in the Toronto Star |
Media contacts:
Dale Duncan (English)
Senior Communications Strategist
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
University of Toronto
dale.duncan@utoronto.ca
416-978-2518
Evelyn Cheung (Mandarin)
Research Coordinator
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
University of Toronto
evelynking.cheung@mail.utoronto.ca
647-507-3178