Celebrating Asian Heritage Month 2021
During the month of May, Urban Strategies will be celebrating Asian Heritage Month in recognition of the rich heritage and contributions of Asian communities in Canadian cities. We are dedicating this month to learning and engaging in dialogues about the history, experiences, and legacies of people and communities of East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Asian Pacific Islander origins and descent. This is the first time we are using our social media presence to recognize Asian Heritage month.
Before we begin, our team at Urban Strategies would like to acknowledge the serious rise in violence and discrimination targeting Asian communities occurring across Canada and around the world. We would also like to acknowledge that anti-Asian racism is not a new phenomenon in Canada and that it has manifested in many ways throughout history, including: racist immigration policies including the Chinese Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Policy, the Komagata Maru incident, and the internment of Japanese Canadians during WWII.
We condemn the violence against the Asian community. As a firm, we are committed to listening to, learning from and supporting Asian and Asian Canadian communities as we do this work. This month, we aim to use our platforms to amplify Asian voices, spotlight Asian urbanists, and hold space for education and dialogue. We will continue to support and create opportunities for all voices in our practice, and stand in solidarity with our Asian and Asian-Canadian colleagues, friends, and neighbours.