Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts

Volume III,  Number 45              December 14 - 20, 2003            Quezon City, Philippines


 





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MIGRANT WATCH

Filipinos: Victims of Racist Violence in Canada
Canadian school board head admits racism in Vancouver schools

Canada may be one of the favorite destinations of Filipino looking for jobs abroad. However, they may start thinking twice once they realize that racism exists in that country – with their young compatriots as some of the victims.

By Bulatlat.com

Racism exists in the schools of Vancouver, Canada.

This was an admission made by Adrienne Montani, chair of the Vancouver School Board (VSB), last Dec. 4. The admission came in the wake of the beating of Filipino student Mao Jomar Lanot last Nov. 30, which led to his death.

Mao Jomar was an 11th grade student at the Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School. His assailants were
from a different ethnic community.

Systemic racism

In a press conference of Filipino-Canadian and Indo-Canadian communities last Dec. 2, Mary Woo Sims,
former head of the British Columbia Human Rights Commission, said that government authorities should
not continue to deny the reality of systemic racism in Canadian society and should put in place programs that address this problem instead of cutting them back.

Joanne Vasquez of the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (FYCA) challenged the VSB “to critically look at
systemic racism as this will only exacerbate the daily struggles of the already marginalized youth of color
and their communities.”

Jegdeep Singh of the South Asian Youth Alliance said that the beating of Lanot is a symptom of systemic racism existing in Canadian society, since the victim and the attackers came from different ethnic communities.

Victor Wong of the Vancouver Association of Chinese Canadians criticized the police for immediately
denying the possibility of racial implications to the killing of Lanot even before conducting an investigation.

The FCYA first raised the issue of systemic racism in 1999, when 25 Filipino youths were victimized by
racist attacks at the Vancouver Technical Secondary School. The VSB threatened legal action against the group.

Aside from that, the group had difficulty hosting the “Bridging the Gap” workshops it had developed for
Filipino youth on their legal and human rights within Vancouver schools, including Sir Charles Tupper
Secondary School.

Positive step

“We view Ms. Montani’s statements as an initial and positive step,” said Charlene Sayo of the FCYA in a statement last Dec. 5. “But we still want to meet with her as soon as possible.

Sayo also urged the VSB to look into the needs of Filipino youths in the Vancouver school system.

“One local academic termed Filipino youth the ‘disappeared,’” she said. “We have one of the highest
drop-out rates.

“It is not enough for the VSB to taut its existing anti-racism and social responsibility programs – they
should listen to the voices of Filipino youth about their specific needs and learn from the community
about the next steps that need to be taken.” Bulatlat.com

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