Asian Heritage Month: An opportunity to highlight stories of determination
May is Asian Heritage Month. Every year since the 1990s, Canadians have been invited to discover and recognize the many achievements and contributions that people of Asian descent have made and continue to make to Canada.
As a memory institution for all Canadians, Library and Archives Canada is proud to help in raising awareness of the range of experiences around the most diverse stories, by making its collections accessible to the general public.
Guided by the theme for 2023, “Stories of Determination,” Library and Archives Canada invites you to explore its collections and the items that document the challenges that Asian communities have overcome to thrive in Canada over the past two centuries and more.
- Blog post: Coming soon! Chinese-Canadian genealogy: general registers and C.I.9 certificates.
- Blog post: Norman Kwong: “I always want to be the winner” tells the incredible story of the first Chinese-Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969 and named to the Order of Canada in 1988.
- Blog post: When Ugandan Asian refugees arrived in Canada in 1972 shares the story of the parents of Sheyfali Saujani, a writer and filmmaker living Toronto, who were among the first 7,500 Ugandan Asian refugees to be welcomed to Canada.
- Blog post: A deportation ledger and the story of a Japanese Canadian deportee relates the story of Henry Shibata, a Japanese Canadian who was deported to Japan in 1946 and returned to Canada in 1961.
- Flickr album: Ugandan Asian Refugees, 1972 presents photographs of the first 7,500 Ugandan Asian refugees to arrive in Canada.
- Flickr album: Meet one of the first Chinese Canadians through the photos in the album The Early Chinese Canadians 1858–1947.
- Flickr album: Japanese-Canadians: Second World War.
- In our collection: Visit our service points to consult the Adrienne L. Clarkson fonds and read the associated blog, A look inside former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson’s archives, to learn more about its contents.
- Genealogy: Use our family history and genealogy tools and guides for Chinese Canadians, Immigrants from China, 1885–1949 and Japanese Canadians to begin your research. Feel free to contact us for help from our experts.
This year also marks an important milestone, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Stay tuned for commemorative events, which will be announced soon.
To learn more
Visit the May is Asian Heritage Month web page to discover more resources and information about Asian communities in Canada and to learn more about how they have shaped our country’s history.
Associated links