Asian Heritage Month resources

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity to learn more about the many achievements and contributions Canadians of Asian heritage have made to the growth and prosperity of Canada, as well as the challenges they have experienced. It is also a reminder for all Canadians to come together to combat anti-Asian racism and discrimination in all its forms. 

The theme for Asian Heritage Month 2025 is “Unity in Diversity: The Impact of Asian Communities in Shaping Canadian Identity.” According to Canadian Heritage, this theme acknowledges the abundance of diversity present among Asian Canadian communities and how this richness has contributed to building a unifying Canadian identity. The diverse nature of Asian Canadian communities is considered as one of their strengths, just as it is in our Canadian identity.

Here is a collection of resources to help you celebrate Asian Heritage Month, learn more about the history of Canadians of Asian heritage and take action.

 History (and past wrongs) 

• Heritage BC: Heritage Maps
• Historica Canada: Paldi
• Historica Canada: “Boat People” Refugees
• Historica Canada: Nitro
• Royal BC Museum: Chinese Canadian History in British Columbia
• Knowledge Network: British Columbia: An Untold History
• Simon Fraser University: A Brief Chronology of Chinese Canadian History
• Hastings Park 1942: The internment of more than 8,000 Japanese Canadians at Hastings Park (PNE grounds)
• Westerly News: Japanese Canadians in Ucluelet
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights: The Story of the Komagata Maru

Anti-Asian racism

• The Try Guys: We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate
• Faces of Racism

Inspiring people

• Canada.ca: Noteworthy Canadians of Asian Origin
• Order of British Columbia recipient Baljit Sethi
• First Sikh councillor in North America: Naranjan Singh Grewal
• Architect who designed the Canadian War Museum: Raymond Moriyama

Learn

• BC Government: Celebration: Chinese Canadian Legacies in British Columbia
• South Asian Canadian Legacy Project: A Social History of South Asians in British Columbia
• Vancouver Island Regional Library: Asian Heritage Month reading list
• Harvard Business Review: Bringing caste into the DEI conversation
• Historica Canada: Heritage Minutes: Vancouver Asahi
• Canada.ca: Significant Events in the History of Canadians of Asian Heritage
• Winnipeg Library: Info Guides: Anti-Asian Racism

Take action

• Chinese Canadian National Council: Fighting Racism in Canada Video Series
• Growth and Solidarity: Fight Anti-Asian Racism
• University of Victoria: Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression teaching guides
• UBC Department of Asian Studies: Anti-Racism Resources
• Complex.ca: Anti-Asian Racism is Surging in Canada. Here’s How to Help Fight It
• Elimin8Hate: Resources

Asian communities' contributions to Nanaimo

• BC government: Exploring Asian History in Provincial Parks
• Vancouver Island University: Nanaimo Chinatowns
• 7 Potatoes Society: Nanaimo Cherry Blossom Project
• My Mother's Secret Was Canada's Secret by Dr. Imogene Lim. Lim, a VIU Honorary Research Associate, reflects on citizenship in relation to her mother's wartime service and the centenary of the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923. Source: BC Studies 218 (Summer 2023), 105-113. Read the article.