FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 30, 2022
Impact North Shore strongly denounces the violent racist attack that took place at a long-standing immigrant-owned business in Edgemont Village last week.
There has been an alarming rise in racism, particularly anti-Asian racism, across the country. This has included an increase in verbal and physical attacks in public, hate graffiti, property damage, microaggressions and xenophobia. According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes increased by 72% between 2019 and 2021, noting that 80% of hate crimes are unreported.
In a 2022 Impact North Shore survey with im/migrants, we saw an increase over the previous year of respondents who indicated they had experienced an attack, harassment, or discrimination based on their skin colour, ethnicity, religious affiliation or race on the North Shore.
This attack in Edgemont Village along with many others throughout North and West Vancouver highlight an urgent need for our North Shore communities to actively stand up against racism.
“It’s time for mindsets and behaviours to change,” says Wendy McCulloch, Impact North Shore Executive Director. “Community leaders and residents alike need to commit to being active witnesses in disrupting systemic racism and individual acts of hate.”
An active witness understands the harmful impacts of discrimination and names, interrupts and responds to racist incidents when they occur.
“While education is important, we need to apply what we learn,” says Lorelei Phillips, Impact North Shore Director of Community Innovation. “We need to listen to the experiences of racialized individuals and take courageous action to stand up to discrimination in our communities and workplaces.”
If you have experienced or witnessed racism please visit our website for a list of resources.
