Asian Heritage Month Speakers
May is #AsianHeritageMonth, an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage at #WesternU and beyond. This month is also a reminder for Canadians to come together to combat anti-Asian racism and discrimination in all its forms.
Join Western’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as they present two virtual speaker events for Asian Heritage Month.
May 19: Samya Hasan, Executive Director, Council of Agencies Servicing South Asians (CASSA), “Reflections of Asian Heritage Month: Examining the role of allyship”
Register here: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/.../WN_hEnpHJcnRH...
Description of Talk:
As we celebrate yet another Asian Heritage Month in Canada, it is critical to reflect what this celebration means for Asian and non-Asian communities. This section will explore the colonial role in forming the Asian and South Asian identities. What does this mean for South Asian communities and non-profit and charity organizations serving these communities today? The session will also reflect on the state of the non-profit sector as it relates to South Asian, other racialized, and immigrant communities. How has the pandemic impacted the role that the non-profit sector plays? Finally, the session will highlight the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians' (CASSA) 2022 South Asian Heritage Month campaign and the focus on mental health in South Asian communities.
Samya's Bio:
Samya Hasan is the Executive Director of the Council of Agencies Servicing South Asians (CASSA), a social justice umbrella organization that advocates on behalf of individuals, groups and organizations to meet the needs of South Asian communities and is committed to the elimination of all forms of discrimination from Canadian society. Samya leads various projects and advocacy groups such as the Anti-Hate Community Leaders’ Group to combat online hate and hate crimes in Canada, national research on gender-based violence, civic engagement campaigns, legal aid education for immigrants and refugees, health equity advocacy for racialized communities and COVID-19 relief and vaccine engagement Projects. Samya holds a Masters of Public Policy degree from the University of Toronto.
May 26: Amy Go, President, Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice, “Anti-Asian Racism in Canada: Understanding inequities experienced by Chinese and East Asian Canadian communities and moving towards community belonging”
Description of Talk:
Connect historical anti-Asian racism to the present context of systemic inequities experienced by Chinese and East Asian Canadian communities and profiling Chinese Canadian communities to generate discussions about identity development and community belonging
Register here: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/.../WN...
Amy's Bio:
Amy Go is the President of Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice. Chinese Canadian National Council educates, engages and advocates for social justice and equity for all in Canada www.ccncsj.ca. CCNC-SJ has been at the forefront of the movement to combat ant-Asian racism since January 2020. Collaborating with partner organizations, CCNC-SJ led the social media campaign to “Stop the Spread of Racism”, launched the #FaceRace campaign, developed anti-racism education tools for children and parents, and coordinated advocacy efforts calling for government actions to address racism and its impact.
Amy is a social worker by training and has dedicated her professional career to serving immigrants and seniors, promoting and advocating for culturally and linguistically appropriate care and health equity for racialized communities. For over three decades, Amy has advocated for social justice and rights of women and racialized communities through her leadership role in national, provincial and local service and advocacy organizations. Amy is currently providing consulting services to facilitate organizational strategic development, program planning, development, and review as well as anti-racism/anti-oppression organizational change.