What is Asian Heritage Month?

Celebrating Innovation and
Perseverance

The month of May is devoted to celebrating the vast and unique contributions of the many diverse Asian-Canadian communities in British Columbia’s history. Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize and explore the accomplishments, artistry, traditions and culture of those who helped build the province that would become B.C, and all members of Asian-Canadian communities who have called BC home since. From Sikh celebrations of Vaisakhi, to the Chinatowns throughout the province, to the Powell Street Festival cultivating Japanese-Canadian arts and culture—these, among others, have established the heritage and traditions of a wide variety of Asian communities in the multicultural tapestry of British Columbia. Nationally, the federal government has set the theme for this year as “Celebrating Innovation and Perseverance”. The intention is to expose all Canadians to our strong Asian communities and understand better the important role they have now as well as had in the past.
The history of Asian-Canadians in British Columbia has come with its dark moments. The challenges of racism, discrimination and displacement can be seen in the head tax placed on Chinese immigrants, the rejection ofincident of the Komagata Maru, and the internment of Japanese-Canadians in World War II. Awareness of this past helps us to learn and act differently today, but as we have seen recently, with the spread of COVID-19, came a significant rise of anti-Asian violence. Obviously, there is still much to do, and Asian Heritage Month gives us a chance to learn these histories, celebrate achievements, and challenge injustices.
TAKE A LOOK AT EXAMPLES OF ASIAN COMMUNITY LEADERS
AND RELATED HISTORICAL EVENTS BY EXPLORING EXAMPLES OF OUR SHARED ASIAN HERITAGE