Celebrating Asian Heritage Month
For Asian Heritage Month, we’re highlighting the incredible people of Asian descent throughout the country. Our non-exhaustive list includes books, podcasts, articles, stories, films, and music highlighting the contributions of people of Asian descent throughout the country, and throughout history.
While we celebrate, it is important to address the ongoing racism towards people of Asian descent. At the end of this post, we have shared a list of resources to continue to learn and dismantle anti-Asian racism in your own life and community, and direct actions you can take.
We recognize THAT referring to people of Asian descent is a broad category that includes people and their ancestors from a diverse range of regions (East Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia) and it is not an all-encompassing term.
LEARN
Asian Heritage Month - Vancouver Island Regional Library
This resource includes history from communities of Asian descent on Vancouver Island, books, films, access to Heirloom Asian Seeds, free access for learning languages, and more.
Landscapes of Injustice, a history all Canadians should know. - Landscape of Injustice Project
Historians unearth untold stories of influential Vancouver Island women - CHEK News
Paldi: Town Soaked in Sikh History - Desi Today
15 Inspirational Asian Canadians To Know - ELLE Canada
Asian Canadian History Guide - Vancouver Public Library
10 Incredible Asian-Canadians You Didn’t Learn About in History Class - Readers Digest
18 Asian Canadian Women You Should Know - Cold Tea Collective
Historic Asian Canadians - Toronto Public Library
Noteworthy Canadians of Asian descent - Government of Canada
My Korean name is Ki Sun, and I'm choosing not to be ashamed of it anymore - CBC
From Oscar noms to leading roles: The problem with saying Asian women filmmakers have finally ‘made it’ - The Conversation
Why 'Asian' isn't a one-size-fits-all term for many Canadians - CBC
Article: Patterns of Racism: Attitudes Towards Chinese and Japanese in Alberta, 1920-1950 by Howard Palmer
BOOKS
The link for each book take you to the publisher's site. If you would like to purchase any of these books from a local store, check out Munro’s Books or Massy Books in Vancouver!
Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng
Hana Khan Carries On: A Novel by Uzma Jalaluddin
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
Two Trees Make A Forest by Jessica J. Lee
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related. by Jenny Heijun Wills
Aria by Nazanine Hozar
Seven by Farzana Doctor
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit in by Phuc Tran
Being Chinese in Canada: The Struggle for Identity, Redress and Belonging by William Ging Wee Dere
Obasan by Joy Kogawa
Lives of the Family: Stories of Fate and Circumstance by Denise Chong
Great Fortune Dream: The Struggles and Triumphs of Chinese Settlers in Canada, 1858-1966 by David Chuenyan Lai
How to Pronouce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Home Body by Rupi Kaur
Ru by Kim Thúy
I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom
Prairie Ostrich by Tamai Kobayashi
Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
All Inclusive by Farzana Doctor
When Fox Is A Thousand by Larissa Lai
Small Beauty by jia qing wilson-yang
Half World by Hiromi Goto
MORE:
Asian Voices: Canadian Authors* - Indigo
While we wanted to share this list to highlight more authors, we encourage you to visit your local store to make your purchase.
17 Canadian books to read for Asian Heritage Month - CBC
PODCASTS
Backstory Podcast by Reel Asian
Voices of the Pandemic
Feeling Asian
Asians in Space
The Nameless Collective Podcast
Culture Shock the Podcast
Taiwanese Diaspora Podcast
Made In
The Secret Life of Canada:
Where Is Japantown? | Chinatown | Shout Out to C.D. Hoy | Shout Out to Private Buckham Singh
FILMS
The first 10 films are curated by the Calgary Underground Film Festival for CBC.
Warren P. Sonoda | Things I do for Money | Crave
Gillian McKercher | Circle of Steel | Crave
Jennifer Shin (producer) | Paper Year | CBC Gem
Jennifer Liao | End of Days, Inc.| AppleTV+
Vicki Chau | Paper Lantern | vickichau.com
Jason Wan Lim | Blood Mountain | Amazon Prime
Corey Lee | Legend of a Warrior | Amazon Prime
Albert Shin | Disappearance at Clifton Hill | Amazon Prime
Julia Kwan | Eve and the Fire Horse | Hollywood Suite
Yung Chang | Up the Yangtze | NFB
Available on CBC Gem:
Bad Rap, directed by Salima Koroma
Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., directed by director Steve Loveridge
Indian Space Dreams, directed by Sue Sudbury
The Donut King, directed by Alice Gu
Palisa Anderson's Water Heart Food
Lost & Found
Available at the National Film Board of Canada:
Asian Communities in Canada
MUSIC
Celebrating Asian Heritage Month Playlist - Calgary Folk Music Festival
Toronto Asian Artists Playlist - Natalie Nguyen
We Are Vibrant Playlist - Horizon EAST
Asian Glow Playlist - Monica Young
ANTI-ASIAN RACISM RESOURCES
Challenging Racist “British Columbia”: 150 Years and Counting - Asian Canadians on Vancouver Island: Race, Indigeneity and the Transpacific (ACVI), University of Victoria and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
An All Ages Reading List to Combat Anti-Asian Racism - Calgary Public Library
Anti-Asian Racism: Learn + Share + Action - SheEO
Cultivating Growth and Solidarity Zine
Asian and South Asian Heritage Month - The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
Anti-Asian Racism: What Can We Learn from Our Past? - National Film Board of Canada