TORONTO -- Asian-Canadians speaking with their children about anti-Asian racism should teach them cultural pride, warn them about racism before it happens, and embolden them to call it out, experts recommend.
The University of Toronto recently found reported anti-Asian racist incidents in Canada have , and because of the speed at which some of the incidents spread online, experts warn Asian parents to prepare their children for it.
âWhat we tell parents is to control what theyâre watching [on] social media. [Children] are more savvy, theyâll see it before we will,â Catherine Vuky, an assistant clinical psychology professor at William James College and director of the Massachusetts collegeâs Asian Mental Health program, said during an expert panel discussion on ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel.
She told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel that ânow more than everâ Asian-Canadian parents should be speaking with their children about racism and discrimination, and create a safe space for them to speak about what they may have experienced.
âOftentimes, we find that our Asian parents tend not to have these type of conversations but what I hear from the kids is, theyâre scared. And they want to talk about it.â
Anti-Asian hate attacks have skyrocketed across the U.S. and Canada. In 2020, reported attacks spiked across the country, including in , and . A of more than 500 Chinese-Canadians found half were called names or insulted because of the outbreak, while 43 per cent said they've been threatened or intimidated.
Vuky, who helped develop a multilingual guide for Asian-Canadian parents, said to encourage younger children to write down or draw what theyâre feeling because they might not be able to articulate their thoughts with words.
, a group of professors from the University of Victoria helped create an to help them navigate through the complexities of systemic oppression in Canada and their own racial identities. Meanwhile in Toronto, educators have been for teachers to have tough but needed conversations.
Vuky noted that these conversations shouldnât only be done in reaction to racist incidents or news reports. She said, especially when it comes to younger children, Asian-Canadian parents needed to get out ahead of racist incidents by building up pride in their cultural background.
âI think if we have natural conversations in our everyday lives, we can instill that resilience and the confidence in our kids.â
She noted the discussing racism and even cultural identity can be used to âtalk about what itâs like to be different or to look differently and celebrate the differences -- celebrate our own culture versus looking at all the negatives.â
Jan Wong, the co-founder of the Asian Canadian Women's Alliance, agreed wholeheartedly and said that itâs important to facilitate these conversations so children âarenât blindsided.â
She told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel when her now-adult sons were young children she didnât have that talk initially âbecause I thought Canada was this wonderful, harmonious, multi-cultural place.â
But that changed after Wongâs then-four-year-old son was bullied by several other children at a park because of his race. âHe couldnât talk. He was so upset,â she said, noting that she wished she âcouldâve prepared him for less of a shock.â
Looking back, Wong said she wouldâve encouraged her child âthat you donât have to take it passivelyâ and to talk back to the other children, conveying that it wasnât right.
She likened Asian-Canadian parents having early preemptive talks about racism to how most caregivers and teachers preemptively speak to children about consent when it comes to hugging or inappropriate touching, and how to tell other adults or teachers if something is making them feel uncomfortable.
âYou have to inoculate your kids before it happens.â