Op-Ed by Anna Zhang, 2L: Anti-Asian racism is real in Canada, and I will no longer hide

In an op-ed for the Toronto Star (Apr. 5), second-year JD student Anna Zhang share her experience of racism and seeking acceptance while growing up in Canada. She writes: 

"Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian-Americans and Asian-Canadians have been on a rise in Canada and the U.S. In Manhattan, a 65-year-old Asian woman was beaten in broad daylight while three bystanders watched. In Vancouver, a 92-year-old Asian man with dementia was assaulted in a convenience store. In Toronto, a Filipino-Canadian woman was attacked in a subway station and told to “go back to China.” The list goes on.

When I hear these stories, I don’t just see rising numbers of anti-Asian racism, I see my own mother being the woman beaten in broad daylight. I imagine my father being spat on and assaulted with antiracial slurs. I think about my sister, my grandparents, my friends, and every Asian-Canadian, half-Asian-Canadian, or visible minority I have ever known. These tragedies are not just stories to me; they are personal."

Read the full op-ed in the Toronto Star