EDITOR'S NOTE
THE ACTIVISM ISSUE
2014
has been a remarkable year for Asian and
Asian Canadian activism.
All eyes were on Taiwan during March and April,
when Taiwanese university students protesting the terms
and handling of a proposed trade pact with the People’s
Republic of China (PRC) became so agitated, they literally
occupied the Taiwanese government’s legislature building for twenty-three days. Many Taiwanese were so
moved by the students’ cause that they lined up
to donate food and water to the students. One
florist donated a thousand yellow sunflowers, signifying hope, which quickly became
the symbol of the movement. Ultimately,
satisfied with concessions from the government, the leaders of the Sunflower Movement
agreed to disband and continue the movement in
broader society. Before the students left, they were
careful to thoroughly clean the legislature building they had
occupied in protest.
While many Canadians may have missed the Sunflower
Movement in their daily news cycle, most have likely come
across the Umbrella Movement that has been unfolding
since late September in downtown Hong Kong. Angered
by the PRC’s disallowing of civil nominations for Hong
Kong executive and legislative council leaders, Hong Kong
students occupied the courtyard of a major HK government building. After facing police firing of tear gas and even
attacks from local triads, public support for the students
swelled, creating occupation of other major thoroughfares
in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.
During the months of our production of this Activism
issue, the Occupy Hong Kong movement has held strong,
and come to be symbolized by yellow umbrellas (which
protestors use to shelter from the elements, and have
often been their only defense against police batons). The
civil behaviour of the Umbrella Movement protestors has
struck a chord worldwide, with images such as high school
students doing their homework from the protest lines,
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extremely organized garbage collection and even recycling
from the protest sites, and hand-lettered signs apologizing
for inconvenience to passersby. At the Goddess of Democracy replica statue on Vancouver’s University of British
Columbia campus—which commemorates the Tiananmen
Incident of June 4, 1989—an Umbrella Movement sympathizer placed a bright yellow umbrella in the Goddess’
torch-bearing hand, connecting two powerful historic
movements in one symbolic image.
Things have not been quiet in Canada
either. In our pages, you can read in-depth on
some of the long-term causes our writers have
been working on and thinking about, and
are especially grateful to Mohawk/Tuscarora
poet Janet Rogers for blessing our issue with
her powerful opening words. What we have been
able to present is inspiring, but we know it is only the
tip of the iceberg. There are many more issues that Asian
Canadian activi