[van-announce] Thurs May 3- Beyond Multiculturalism: Celebrating Asian Heritage Month

[Harsha]

* pls forward *

BEYOND MULTICULTURALISM

Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with a critical perspective on labour,
migration, and race in a special film screening and discussion


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Thursday May 3 @ 6pm
Rhizome Café
317 E. Broadway (corner Kingsway)
Films by donation $0-5
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Organized by No One is Illegal-Vancouver and supported by Association of
Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society and South Asian
Network for Secularism and Democracy.

DOUBLE-BILL OF AWARD-WINNING FILMS!

*** 6:00 PM: “In the Shadow of Gold Mountain”. In the Shadow of Gold
Mountain travels from Montreal to Vancouver to uncover stories from the
last living survivors of The Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, in force
from 1885 until 1947. This unfair legislation plunged the Chinese
community in Canada into more than 62 years of debt and family separation.
At the centre of the film are personal accounts of people like James Wing,
who, at the age of 10, was forced to pay $500 - the cost of two houses at
the time - to live with his father in Canada, and Gim Wong, a WWII veteran
who witnessed his parents’ struggle to pay off their Head Tax debt. This
compelling documentary sheds light on an era that shaped the identity of
generations of Chinese in Canada and reveals the profound ways that
history still casts its shadow.

* DISCUSSION in between films, including with community organizers for
Chinese-Head Tax redress and Kamagata Maru redress and memorial.

*** 7:30 PM:  “Continuous Journey”. The Kamagata Maru entered the port of
Vancouver in 1914. On board were 376 immigrants, who for two months, lived
like prisoners, threatened by famine and disease as the ship was refused
permission to land. At the time, Canadian society was characterized by
strong racist tendencies among people determined to preserve a
predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon heritage and who called openly for a
“White Canada Forever.” The incident of the Kamagata Maru marks a dark
chapter in Canada’s immigration history and contributed to the growing
anti-colonial sentiment in India. The film, which required eight years of
research, is solidly documented, packed with archival material, and
presented in an original way that resonates powerfully with contemporary
events.

For more information contact us at noii-van at resist.ca or call 778 885 0040