Honouring Asian, Jewish and Indigenous History Through Workplace DEI
Canada is known for its rich celebration of other cultures. Such diversity comes only by welcoming the contribution of communities and cultures around the world. Throughout the year, Canadians celebrate numerous heritage months giving honor and recognition to the impressive histories and achievements of different ethnic groups. In this article, we will talk about Asian and Jewish Heritage Month, and Indigenous History Month in Canada. These celebrations highlight how important diversity, equity, and inclusion are to the cultivation of belonging amongst society.
Asian Heritage Month
Every May, Canada celebrates Asian Heritage Month. We take the time to applaud the excellent contributions and accolades achieved among people of Asian descent. Asian culture is one of the most depicted cultures across entertainment and other avenues of communication because of how diverse their traditions, and histories are. Asian culture is comprised of many nationalities:
· Chinese
· Japanese
· Korean
· Filipino
· Indian
· Pakistani
· Vietnamese, and many more.
Asian Canadians are key changemakers helping shape Canada's social, cultural, political, and economic landscape. One goal of Asian Heritage Month is promoting cross-cultural insights leading to appreciation.
Through various events, festivals, and educational initiatives, Canadians can learn about the rich heritage and experiences of Asian Canadians, fostering greater inclusivity and solidarity within society. Asian Heritage Month also amplifies voices from this community that desire to bring greater attention issues like discrimination, racism, and social inequality. Opening these dialogues invites new perspectives and solutions to make society more equitable for everyone.
Jewish Heritage Month
Jewish Heritage Month celebrates the contributions Jewish Canadians. Their honorable legacy and innumerable contributions are woven deep into the fabric of Canadian society. Throughout history, if you look in the fields of the arts, business, literature, science, and philanthropy, you’ll find Jewish communities have their hand in many of the significant contributions. Jewish Heritage Month is an opportunity for recognition and honor for this community’s impact while fostering greater respect for Jewish culture and traditions.
Additionally, Jewish Heritage Months brings back to the surface the continued challenges and racism the Jewish community faced historically up to and including present day acts of violence against them. Ranging from the Holocaust to occurrences of anti-Semitism across the world, Jewish Canadians persevere and contribute to the multicultural heritage of Canada. Acknowledging these events throughout history reaffirms the continued need for tolerance, diversity, and unity where areas of opportunity still exist.
Indigenous History Month
In Canada, June is when we celebrate Indigenous History Month. It’s a time to respect, honor, and celebrate indigenous people. Their rich culture, language, tradition, and contributions can’t be overstated. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples have lived on these lands for thousands of years. All the while holding fast to their unique and diverse societal customs that are deeply connected to the land, water, and natural world. Indigenous History Month offers us the opportunity to gain insight into the histories, experiences, and fortitude of Indigenous peoples, and to reflect on their ongoing quest to find reconciliation and achieve decolonization.
Indigenous History Month has a few themes, one central to the celebration is promoting Indigenous wisdom, viewpoints, and voices. Multiple cultural events such as art exhibits, historical stories, workshops, and community gatherings give Canadians the opportunity experience Indigenous traditions and teachings. This gives us deeper understanding of Indigenous worldviews and experiences.
More importantly, Indigenous History Month acts as a reminder and call to action for us to come together and address the legacy of colonization head on. By addressing systemic oppression without downplaying its effects on Indigenous peoples, we can create relationships built on respect, sincerity, and equality for Indigenous peoples.
How Workplaces can Celebrate These Communities
It’s not only the country that can celebrate these groups of people, but workplaces can take several actions to honor the many contributions and benefits they have on culture and society.
For Asian and Jewish Heritage Month companies can have:
Workplace Seminars: Educational events and workshops[1] that educate employees about on the richness of Asian and Jewish history.
Invited Speakers: Welcome speakers that are a part of these groups to share their unique perspectives.
Themed Events: Create playlists of music from these cultures, feature art, food and other festivities that elevate Asian and Jewish cultures.
Employee Testimonials: Invite employees from these groups to share what they love about being a member of these communities and open dialogue as to how they can be supported going forward.
For Indigenous Peoples Month[2] workplaces can offer:
Land Acknowledgements: Recognize Indigenous communities that originally inhabited the land currently used as a sign of respect.
Cultural Workshops: Welcome in Indigenous people with extensive history of the culture to share their stories.
Art and Crafts Fair: Bring Indigenous art on site for sale with the proceeds benefitting organizations committed to supporting the Indigenous community.
Community Engagement: Partner with local Indigenous groups for volunteer efforts or other projects helping to facilitate reconciliation[3].
Learn more about Asian Heritage Month
On the government of Canada’s website, there is ample information about Asian heritage and its rich history in our nation and across the world. You can learn about their organizations, access educational resources, read about noteworthy films, and other organizations committed to improving inclusivity for people of Asian descent.
Learn more about Jewish Heritage Month
Since 2018, after a unanimous vote by Parliament, a bill passed declaring the month of May be known as Canadian Jewish Heritage Month. Throughout Canada, we celebrate the people of the Jewish community and the inspirational role of Jewish Canadians throughout various communities across the country. Whether it’s law, the political landscape, culture shaping, or sports, this great time helps celebrate Jewish Canadians and their numerous contributions to this country over the last 250 years. Read more here.
Learn more about Indigenous Peoples
Here are the following resources to help you learn about Indigenous Peoples:
Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta: yesterday, today, and tomorrow gives a great look into the culture, history, issues, and future opportunities of Indigenous Peoples.
The Blackfoot Digital Library has extensive knowledge about the Blackfoot people and their culture. The site contains images, audio, videos, and documents collected over the past 100 years.
LearnAlberta (français) shares a wealth of educational resources applicable to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and experiences, including residential schools and Treaties. Resources correlate to Alberta programs of study.
Empowering the Spirit includes educational resources to deepen understanding of First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives on literacy and numeracy. The resources are the result of a partnership between Alberta Education and the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortium.
Asian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Indigenous History Month are all valuable moments in Canadian history helping to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and contributions of these different cultural and ethnic people living in Canada. Honoring and recognizing their histories, stories, experiences, and achievements opens dialogue and greater respect for people from these communities.
The hope is that from this, Canadians will do more to support after gaining a greater understanding, of what they mean to our society. In busy times like today it’s easy to forget or even overlook people from these communities. We do ourselves a disservice by neglecting to recognize how important diversity, inclusivity, and reconciliation are in forming a society more equitable and harmonious for all Canadians.
[1] https://www.ontariopresents.ca/resources/resource-list-workshops-courses-and-training-opportunities
[3] https://www.iworks.org/consulting/truth-reconciliation
About All Things Equitable: All Things Equitable Inc. helps employers make workplaces more diverse, inclusive, and safe for equity-seeking groups. Learn more about the company and reach out if you need Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting, Speaking or Training Services!
