A Call to Eliminate Anti-Asian Racism: An Open Letter
To:
Kenneth Whyte, publisher and editor-in-chief, Maclean’s,
Cathrin Bradbury, editor-in-chief and general manager, Maclean’s Intelligence Unit,
Mary Dwyer, senior editor, University Rankings,
Philippe Gohier, acting managing editor, Macleans.ca,
Carson Jerema, editor, OnCampus,
Nicholas Kohler, senior writer,
Stephanie Findlay, intern,
and
John A. Honderich, chair, Torstar Corp.,
John D. Cruickshank, publisher, Toronto Star,
Michael Cooke, editor,
Kathy English, public editor,
Louise Brown, education reporter
AN OPEN LETTER
A Call to Eliminate Anti-Asian Racism
November 22, 2010
We, the undersigned, believe that the “Too Asian”? article in the Maclean’s magazine and the “Asian students suffering for success” article in the Toronto Star newspaper, published on November 10, 2010, worked to racially profile and stereotype Asian Canadians as perpetual foreigners in Canada. These articles served to reinforce anti-Asian resentment and antagonism by raising anxieties over Canada’s changing demographics and the emergence of China and India as global powers. Both media outlets generated binary “us” versus “them” distinctions between white and Asian Canadians, consequently inciting racial antipathy and division, instead of fostering a constructive dialogue on diversity and integration.
The articles symbolize the failure of Maclean’s and the Toronto Star to uphold their journalistic and corporate social responsibility. The damaging impact of racial stereotyping and antagonism is far-reaching, not just in the realms of media, business, education, workplace, and the society at large, but also to the targeted ethno-cultural individuals and communities.
Maclean’s and the Toronto Star recycled historical and ongoing depictions of Asians as “yellow and brown perils” that threaten the Canadian social order. These media depictions remind us of past anti-Asian government legislation, programs, and public thinking. The Head Tax and Immigration Exclusion laws, the Continuous Journey regulations, and the World War II Internment targeted the Chinese, South Asian, and Japanese Canadian communities, respectively. In 1979 the CTV television news series W5 portrayed Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Asian descent as “foreigners,” allegedly taking over Canadian educational institutions. We see Maclean’s and the Toronto Star as reinforcing a long and deeply ingrained history of anti-Asian racial anxiety that has led to bigoted profiling and discrimination of Asian Canadians.
The media’s racial distinction of “us” versus “them” works within a troubling understanding of Canada in which white people or those of European descent are considered the sole rightful citizens and beneficiaries of the nation. Such an understanding makes it difficult to conceive of Canadian universities as educational institutions where Asians as well as Aboriginal peoples and other communities of colour, such as African, Caribbean, Latin American, and Middle Eastern peoples, can also belong. Racialized individuals and communities face challenges to their claims of belonging when certain institutions and entitlements are already deemed as not for them.
The media often portray Asian Canadians in homogeneous ways and fail to account for diversity within the group. They do not distinguish among Asians who are Canadian-born, naturalized citizens, newcomer immigrants, or international students. They neglect to consider the varying educational circumstances of Asian Canadians based on income, class, gender, religion, and language. They lump all Asian Canadians together regardless of their ancestral background, whether they are from China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, or Sri Lanka. Since Maclean’s and the Toronto Star depicted Asian Canadians as a homogeneous model minority, they failed to acknowledge the various structural roots of the academic and social struggles that many Asian Canadian students experience. They also missed seeing how community groups are addressing barriers that hinder their goals and pathways for genuine settlement, integration, and well-being in this country.
Although Asian Canadians have been and continue to be discriminated against by racist media portrayals, government policies, and some public opinion, they also have been actively recruited for their labour and capital. Their labour has been crucial to the development of this nation, ranging from the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway 125 years ago to the recruitment of temporary workers and live-in caregivers of children and the elderly over the last 25 years. Their financial resources have been keenly sought after, as they are considered economic migrants who could bring investment and entrepreneurial capital, and as international students whose high tuition fees augment the inadequate funding of public education. Many Canadian universities aggressively reach out to and recruit students from Asia.
As such, Asian Canadians are trapped in a perpetual racist contradiction: they are both wanted and unwanted in this country. So long as they provide labour, capital, and expertise to the Canadian economy, they are wanted. However, when they assert their entitlement to human rights, genuine integration, and even education in Canada, their sense of belonging is challenged.
Since the media – as well as educational institutions – have perpetrated racial stereotyping, oppression, and antagonism, they need to change their policies and practices in order to help realize the promise of a truly multicultural Canada.
Therefore, we demand that Macleans’ and the Toronto Star:
• must issue a comprehensive and unqualified public apology to Asian Canadians;
• must engage in public consultations to address racial profiling and stereotyping via their media outlets;
• must implement measurable corporate and editorial anti-racism policies in consultation with relevant community constituents, and must publish the results of their policies annually;
• and, must implement employment equity programs to diversify their corporate and editorial boards and frontline personnel.
We also demand that Canadian institutions of higher education:
• must develop academic programs and courses that explicitly address racism in Canada and the historical and contemporary experiences, representations, and contributions of Asian Canadians;
• must undertake and publish campus climate surveys of racialized students, staff, and faculty;
• and, must establish advocacy and support offices for racialized students, staff, and faculty.
We sign this open letter in solidarity with principles and struggles to eliminate anti-Asian racism.
Sincerely,
The Canadian coalition of concerned community partners to eliminate anti-Asian racism
University of Toronto Students’ Union
Danielle Sandhu, danielle@utsu.ca, and Maria Galvez, maria@utsu.ca
Ryerson Students’ Union
Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation
Harbhajan Gill, komagatamaru@hotmail.com
National Association of Japanese Canadians – Human Rights Committee
Ken Noma, ikuei@sympatico.ca
National Association of Japanese Canadians – Toronto Chapter
Charlotte Chiba, charlotte.chiba@ontario.ca
Philippine Women Centre of Ontario
Joy Sioson, pwc-on@magkaisacentre.org
SIKLAB Ontario
Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance / Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada
Kim Abis, kim.abis@gmail.com
Youth Coalition Against Maclean’s
Florence Li, florenceccncto@gmail.com
Asian Canadian Labour Alliance – Ontario Chapter
Anna Liu, aliu@aclaontario.ca, and Chris Ramsaroop, ramsaroopchris@gmail.com
Asian Canadian Labour Alliance – British Columbia Chapter
Lorene Oikawa, lorene.oikawa@bcgeu.ca
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – Ontario Chapter
Janice Gairey, jgairey@ofl.ca
Latin American Trade Union Coalition
Edgar Godoy, g.edgarsaul@gmail.com
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Debbie Douglas, ddouglas@ocasi.org
Community Alliance for Social Justice
Rick Esguerra, rick.esguerra@gmail.com
The Left Institute
Frank Saptel info@theleftinstitute.ca
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Dave Ritchie info@iamaw.ca
Canadian Auto Workers
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For more information, contact:
Roland Sintos Coloma, rosincol@gmail.com, (647) 994-0805
Brad Lee, bradleylee@rogers.com, (416) 399-9850