Some Chinese Canadians feel helpless to fight anti-Asian racism: report

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – A new report says Chinese Canadians targeted by insults or physical attack feel helpless to react when faced with racism.

Anti-Asian Racism (AAR) has a long history in Canada, but the situation was exacerbated with the unfounded perception that the China was the source of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report found.

Called “2020 in Hindsight: Intergenerational conversations on Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report was compiled by the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter.

It focused on 31 Chinese Canadians of various age groups and drew from both immigrants and those born in Canada.

“Most participants have had personal experiences of AAR (Anti-Asian Racism) since the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated the report, which was released earlier this week.

“At the same time, sometimes they felt that it was difficult to identify these incidents as racism, partly due to the often ambiguous and insidious nature of racist microaggressions, the lack of English proficiency, the pressure to fit into the ‘model minority’ who do not make trouble, and/or the limited awareness about AAR in society.”

Among those targeted by racism there was also a sense of “hopelessness/helplessness” – known as “Wu Nai” in Chinese, so they did not bother to speak up even when they felt “fear, anger/rage,” the report said.

From early in the pandemic onward, incidents of hate crimes rose significantly in Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, the report stated.

There were several recommendations in the report to counter the racism.

They included “more advocacy work” to support each other in the community, better public education on AAR, use of an online format that would bring generations of Chinese together to discuss AAR experience, and, when safe to do so, to speak up and intervene when racism is encountered.