Originally posted on LinkedIn in June 2021.
As The University of British Columbia’s National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism comes to a close I am filled with pride and power from the space created to listen and learn 🔥 (if you don’t read this post, I encourage you to watch the video below).
This will be a long post but I believe this is an important conversation to have.
On a personal note, I didn’t embrace my Asian heritage as much as I wish I did when I was younger. I always saw it as “the other”. It has taken me years to unlearn that narrative and since then, I have learned to celebrate it, and it is so impactful when I am invited to be part of conversations that combats #racism, upholds education and pushes for meaningful change #StopAsianHate
Here are some takeaways that resonated with me. With each, I ask a question to reflect on:
1️⃣ Even as racialized folks we must continue to challenge our own internal biases, to work towards decolonizing our own minds [👉🏾 Have you held yourself accountable and others as well? Have you thought of how you might be upholding systems of oppression?]
2️⃣ To address anti-Asian racism, we must examine it within the broader context of racism against Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities [👉🏾 Are you learning about the experiences of other communities and trying to support them?]
3️⃣ Combatting racism requires us to look at the intersectionality of race, gender, sexual orientation and other forms or oppression [👉🏾 Are you willing to open your eyes to see the devastation of other oppressions?]
4️⃣ “Canada has an angel complex… we need to actively counter this narrative because it simply untrue… Canadians being endlessly surprised by racism is one of the most racist things about Canada” [👉🏾 Have you actively listened to the current experiences of racism of you peers and recent events in the news? Have you done your own learning of Canada’s racist history?)
5️⃣ Racism in all its forms, whether it is overt racism and physical attacks or covert racism and micro-aggressions, are all important. It can psychologically undermine our identity of who we are, our sense of belonging, and a sense of being in a fair society [👉🏾 Are you giving yourself the space to breathe and take care of yourself while doing this work?]
6️⃣ Meaningful #representation does matter [👉🏾 How are you creating safe for conversations that might be uncomfortable? Who is sitting at the table? who is not? how can we change this?]
If we wish to support and advance the cause, there is a need for this work both on an internal and systemic level. I am proud and I am empowered to be Asian.
ABBEY RAMDEO 