Press Release
I would like to start with an acknowledgement as settlers/visitors of the Unceded, Ancestral, and Unsurrendered Lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Speaking Peoples.
All efforts to be anti-racism must work towards justice on stolen lands through truth, reconciliation, and decolonization.
Today, the Stand with Asians Coalition wrote to the City of Burnaby Mayor and Council to propose an orange sidewalk to commemorate the residential schools’ victims and survivors, as well as to raise the importance of meaningful Truth and Reconciliation. This idea came from reading an online article that the City of Orangeville in Ontario installed an orange sidewalk on one of their major city streets. In BC, the City of Gibson has also recently installed an orange sidewalk.
“In June this year, Canada was terribly shaken by the horrific discovery of 215 children’s remains at the Kamloops residential school. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 report, “Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials”, there are over 3500 unmarked graves in Canada. While I would like to commend the city’s effort to partner with the Stand With Asians Coalition (SWAC) in June and to set up the shoe memorial at the Burnaby Civic Square, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to truly address meaningful Truth and Reconciliation,” stated Doris Mah, Co-Founder of the Stand with Asians Coalition.
Media Contact:
Doris Mah, Co-Founder of Stand with Asians Coalition
604-729-3107
Background:
Stand With Asians Coalition (SWAC) is a grassroots movement that started in Burnaby, British Columbia, on April 23, 2021, to stand up against the rising incidence of anti-Asian racism and other forms of racism. Centred around a Facebook group, SWAC is working to unite municipalities across the country in acknowledging the impact of anti-Asian racism as a first step towards developing more effective policy initiatives & systemic change to protect all Canadians.
Nearly 9 million Canadians across Canada have proclaimed May 10, 2021, a Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Racism. Major national and local unions have also endorsed the Day of Action. National unions representing 3.3 million workers have stood up in solidarity and marked the Day of Action. Stand With Asians Coalition (SWAC) is working toward reaching municipalities representing 10 million Canadians to declare May 10, 2022, as the Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Racism.