This dialogue is part of MOA series Responsive Dialogues: Racism in Canada, sparked by recent anti-Black and anti-Asian violence in communities across North America, and the continued racism and oppression directed at Indigenous communities. Critically, the continued racism and oppression that is directed at Indigenous communities is a systemic problem that has been plagued this country for many generations, through state and institutional policies.

The series continues with A Dialogue on Anti-Chinese Racism: Linking the Past to the Present, a video interview with MOA’s Senior Marketing and Communications Manager Bonnie Sun and Dr. Tzu-I Chung, curator of history at the Royal British Columbia Museum, conducted in May 2021, as part of Asian Heritage Month.

In this dialogue, Dr. Chung and Bonnie consider anti-Asian racism, particularly anti-Chinese racism, through the lens of history and the contributions of the first generations of Chinese immigrants to Canada. As illustrated by recent RBCM exhibitions curated by Dr. Chung, the resilience of the Chinese Canadian community has prevailed for centuries.

Relevant links
Peering into the Past: Celebrating Canada’s Oldest Chinatown

Bios
Dr. Tzu-I Chung is a cultural and social historian, broadly interested in transnational migration within the context of historical, cultural and economic interactions between North America and Asia-Pacific and of cultural and economic globalization. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona, studying political economy, representation in popular culture and comparative cultural and social history.

Bonnie Sun has built up extensive experience working and volunteering in the non-profit arts sector over the past 15 years. Her career in the cultural industry began at The Glenbow Museum in Calgary, and continued after moving to Vancouver in 2005 at The Dance Centre. Bonnie is an arts marketing and communications specialist, with a focus on the live performing arts, and has worked for various preeminent Vancouver performing arts organizations and artists.