What does anti-Asian racism look like? The answer may not come readily to you, but it’s a question one mother-daughter team will address in an upcoming webinar on June 15.
Thanh Tazumi and her daughter Charis will host an online interactive conversation centering Asian voices and focusing on experiences that people of Asian descent have faced in Canada. Thanh’s own activism was prompted by racism against the Vietnamese community in Campbell River in the mid-90s. Titled Anti-Asian Racism: The Story You May Not Know, this free webinar will be hosted by the Students of Colour Collective at the University of Victoria.
If this event sounds familiar to you, it is because Thanh and Charis offered their presentation earlier this month through Volunteer Campbell River. Anyone who missed the opportunity to attend the first webinar now has a second chance!
Here is an excerpt of their story from a media release:
Racism, especially anti-Asian racism, is not new to Thanh Tazumi. She has been raising the awareness of racism since the mid-1990’s when the Vietnamese community in Campbell River experienced intense racism. Her work ranges from leading some of the first Walk Away from Racism events to facilitating workshops on diversity, inclusion, cultural awareness, and Anti-racism Response Training (A.R.T). Thanh and her colleagues Naomi Wolfe and Sanchit Mittal have facilitated A.R.T workshops for over 1,000 participants across Canada.
“The Atlanta shooting on March 16th was the breaking point for me. While I was celebrating my birthday with my family on the evening of March 16th, eight people, six of whom were Asian women, were murdered because a man felt that massage parlours were a temptation for him. I felt the cumulative and collective pain that is felt by Asian communities across this continent.”
Thanh’s daughter Charis, remembers reading the news before serving cake for her mom, distraught while also wanting to celebrate her mom. The next couple weeks were filled with intense reflections on what it means to be an Asian Canadian in a time of so much uncertainty, fear, and hatred.
“I felt really helpless. I didn’t know what I was doing, or what my purpose was. After taking time to practice self-care, to grieve, and to process what happened, I decided to hold a fundraiser to donate to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, who had a fund for the affected families.” Charis sold homemade gyoza in Victoria and raised $1,600, and was astounded by the amount of support she got. During this time, Charis and Thanh had many conversations about anti-Asian racism, and how they both felt like they had so much to share with their community.
The following topics will be discussed over the course of the webinar:
- History of anti-Asian racism in Canada
- Microaggressions and responses
- Model minority myth
- Hyper-sexualization of Asian women
- How to be an effective ally to the Asian community
The session takes place June 15 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Register in advance for this free event through Eventbrite at https://uvss.ca/event/socc-anti-asian-racism-the-story-you-may-not-know/
