Calgarians rally in nationwide call to end anti-Asian racism

Calgarians rallied for a day of action against anti-Asian racism on Tuesday, joining a nationwide call for systemic change and marking National Asian Heritage Month.

Racism towards Asians happens all over the world, significantly worsening during the pandemic with a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes reported.

Linda Kee, project manager for Asian Heritage Month at the Asian Heritage Foundation, says progress has been made but there is still work to be done in Calgary.

WATCH: CityNews’ Taylor Braat reports on a Calgary rally calling for the end of anti-Asian racism

“We were focusing on how we can move forward, and maybe that’s something everyone in the world is trying to do,” Kee said.

Learning about pan-Asian diversity, challenging stereotypes, and showing solidarity is how advocates say we can end anti-Asian racism.

“To be in healthy communities, we all want that. No matter what community you come from,” Kee said. “People are still carrying hate and anger in their hearts, but how do we respond to that?”

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Councillor Terry Wong, an advocate for Calgary’s Asian community, says although there has been hardship, stories of hope need to be shared more often.

“We have persevered, we have overcome,” Wong said. “We have told our stories and we want everybody in Calgary to hear the stories.”

Jing Hu, a university student, advocate, and co-founder of the volunteer group COVID-9Teen, is taking part in projects raising awareness that anti-Asian racism is still rampant in Canada. She says the courage to become an ally is needed from everyone.

“A lot of people don’t know where to start,” Hu said. “To decrease this kind of hate, you can actively speak up and you can actively educate and share awareness with people around you.”