Celebrating Asian Heritage Month: Commemorating the past and looking to the future

Asian Canadians have long contributed to building a rich, strong and diverse Canada, despite having been excluded and subject to racist public policies during several notable moments in Canadian history. While this history is part of our past, alongside discriminatory legislation like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Chinese Head Tax, anti-Asian racism continues to persist in Canada.

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation was created after the forcible expulsion and confinement of Japanese Canadians in internment camps during the Second World War. The Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement led to the founding of the CRRF, with the mission to reaffirm the principles of justice and equality for all in Canada.

As we learn from the past and look to the future, we recognize that anti-Asian racism is cyclical. We are currently in another wave that began with the COVID 19 epidemic, and continues to harm communities across the country.

CRRF is committed to driving systemic change and enabling and partnering with Asian Canadian and other racialized groups as part of this work. This May, we will be holding a media training webinar to support the work of local community leaders who run initiatives that combat anti-Asian racism in Canada.

We are also proud to support important projects led by Asian Canadian community partners from coast to coast through our National Anti-Racism Fund, including:

• Greater Toronto Chapter, National Association of Japanese Canadians
• Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick
• South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia
• Bangladesh Centre and Community Services
• Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society
• The Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society

• Korean Social Services Centre
• Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society – join us for the Rally for the National Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Racism on May 8th, in Edmonton

Let us all take time this month to reflect on Asian Canadian heritage and contributions and take action to end anti-Asian racism in Canada.

To learn more about our work or keep up with our exciting new initiatives, subscribe to our monthly Anti-Asian Racism digest  and the  CRRF newsletter  and follow us on  Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for updates.