At the end of the 2022/3 academic year, the ACAM Dialogues cohort gathered to explore ways we could continue fostering our conversations and create something tangible collaboratively to share our thoughts and discussions with the public. That year, the cohort was deeply interested and invested in conversations surrounding the histories and futurity of Asian-Canadian activism, a topic that soon became the overarching theme of the Cohort Projects.
In these projects, Divine Reyes and Gurnoor Powar each focus on varying forms of activism within their respective communities. Divine (UBC BA ‘23, GRSJ & ACAM) explores moments of Filipinx-Canadian activism, centering on community-building and the importance of living and existing as a form of resistance. She concludes with a personal reflection towards her research, sharing her thoughts about her own positionality as a queer Filipinx-Canadian. Gurnoor (UBC BA ‘24, English & ACAM) introduces Desh Pardesh, a South-Asian festival in Toronto during the 1990s, and discusses its’ impact as an anti-racist, feminist, queer, anti-caste and anti-imperialist space for South Asian diaspora.
We are incredibly thankful for the support of the Quan Lee Excellence Fund for Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies, which helped make these projects possible. As you explore the work of our lovely cohort members, we invite you to reflect and consider the ways in which Asian-Canadian activism has and continues to impact you and your communities.
Check out Divine’s project on Filipinx-Canadian activism here!