Meet Asia Nijjar

Naaz: Do you think racism occurs in Canada and have you experienced it?

Asia: 100% racism still occurs in Canada. I live in a small town where everyone is predominately one ethnic background. I think people living in this small town, and others, get used to their community being and looking a certain way. So when people of color, like me, come to this community we get outcasted. I don’t know if that's because they aren’t willing to learn, or aren't willing to be more open…I am not sure…all I know is there is a big problem in smaller towns. 

Naaz: Do you think sexism occurs in Canada?

Asia: I think there have been incidents in the workplace where I have experienced sexism and of course, there is sexism in South Asian culture but outside of that, I don’t think I’ve experienced it much. Culturally boys are seen as the pride and joy in everyone’s family. Boys are seen as doing no wrong and there's always happiness in the house when a boy is born. But I think we are starting to change it and I see that within my own family. I think the older generations are still stuck in their ways so it's on us to move away from these ideologies. 

Naaz: Do you think racism and sexism are connected in the way South Asian women are treated in Canada?

Asia: Quite possibly yes but I haven’t thought much about that. I think in the workplace I feel like I have been discriminated against for being a female or because of the color of my skin, not both. I think there is some intersection between racism and sexism but I personally haven’t experienced it so I can’t speak to it. 

Naaz: Do you think the racism you experience as a First Generation Canadian is different from what our mothers or grandmothers experience as South Asian immigrants?

Asia: Oh for sure! My mom told me stories of when they immigrated here. They moved to a small town, Port Alberni, and going directly headfirst into a small town where they didn’t see many people that looked like them was hard. Plus the culture shock. For me, it was easier because my mom eventually moved to Surrey where there is a huge Indian community. I felt like I belonged, that I wasn’t different or weird and I know my mom and grandma definitely felt that way when they moved here. But when I moved to Vernon I experienced a lot of racism. Like I mentioned before I think a part of it is because of the community that is already here but there are a lot of different ways I've experienced racism. People say things like “brown people only work at this store or supermarket so what are you doing working here?”. It also doesn’t help that workplaces in Vernon are not diverse. I am one of the few people of color in the whole town, which is a reflection of how challenging it is to navigate every aspect of daily life. I think sometimes people don’t realize what they are saying is racist and those who do know it is racist come at it more aggressively. You can see it even walking down the streets in Vernon. People will look at you and glare at you simply because you’re a few shades darker than them. Thankfully I found my community here. My partner grew up in Vernon so he built a community around him and they welcomed me. If I didn’t have that it would have been tougher to manage. 

Naaz: As a first generation Canadian, when did you realize you were “different” from dominant culture and how did that make you feel?

Asia: That’s a hard question because I was a part of the dominant culture growing up in Surrey. It was easier because the people around me were going through similar things, experiencing the world the way I was. There may have been the odd time where I felt left out like sleepovers because South Asian children are not allowed to sleepover but for the most part, I felt like I was a part of the community. When I moved to Vernon though I had a really hard time connecting with people. White people did not want to be friends with me for whatever reasons they had. I don’t even know if it was a racial thing but it's hard not to see it that way. But because I have my strong roots and because I had my partner it lessened the blow a little. But Vernon was the first time I felt “different.”

Naaz: Have you ever been treated differently because you were a South Asian woman? Were you treated differently at restaurants, treated poorly in healthcare settings etc?

Asia: See I always see the good in people so even if I am being treated poorly I always try to understand and empathize as to why (Asia is just such an angel!). I'm sure there have been circumstances and I’ve heard it from people, like you, who have experienced it because of their gender or because of the color of their skin or both. But it's hard for me to accuse people. I know deep inside it's probably a racist incident or action but I don’t want to accuse them of doing it. 

Naaz: Why do you think that we as South Asian women continue to hold unrealistic expectations for ourselves? Why do we feel pressured to be the best version of ourselves?

Asia: I think a part of it is to make our parents and the family happy. They have sacrificed so much for us moving to a new country so I think it's our way of giving back to them. But what happens is we put ourselves into boxes and can’t explore different things that could potentially make us happy. We focus so much on what the family wants and forget about ourselves. We have always been a collectivist culture and everything revolves around your family. There’s a lot of strength that comes from being a collectivist culture too though. For one, you always have a support system and they always want you to succeed. In Western culture, they might be similar and there might be things we don’t see and don’t know. And I think it's important to remember that. It's important to remember that we don’t know everything about other cultures and we might actually have a lot in common. So it's tough to generalize an answer like this but I think that might be why. 

Naaz: Do you think there is internalized racism that occurs within our South Asian communities? 

Asia: Again, I think it's a bit of both. I think there’s definitely more externalized racism that occurs but we do internalize it and it's hard not to. People have been attacked for being South Asian. People have been verbally abused for being South Asian but there's internal oppression too and I mean of course there would be.

Naaz: What can we do to create change? What is needed to help address racism towards South Asian women in Canada?

Asia: First I think we need to have more open dialogue, especially in smaller towns, like a Community Action of sorts. There is a South Asian community here but they need to be more vocal and welcoming. There needs to be more effort to spread the information on larger platforms so we can do big things like people have been able to with Black Lives Matter (BLM). Of course not taking away from BLM but something needs to be done in order to create global change. Some agencies are doing wonderful things like Pink Ladoo. Or even smaller-scale things like what you are doing with this website. I also think we youngsters need to bring older generations into this battle as well. 

Naaz: Do you think there are enough resources in place for people who experience racism in Canada and more specifically in your geographic location?

Asia: In my region not at all. I think somewhere bigger like Surrey there may be a few options but even then it's not enough. I think we need to have different resources like educational programs and workshops on South Asian culture. I know it is important to address the historical impacts of Canada and what it has done to Indigenous people, but we also need to recognize and understand other cultures that make up this cultural mosaic of Canada. South Asians are the second largest group of immigrants in Canada so why aren’t we educating more people about them? That is one way we reduce the stigma and create widespread change. 

Naaz: How can someone be an ally for the South Asian community?

Asia: I think just be willing to be open, to listen, to learn, and talk. Whether it's a South Asian male or female, just be open to listening about their experiences. Talk to people in your family, especially the older generations, and have these tough conversations about racism and sexism. Call people out on it if they are being racist or sexist. I think if we all start doing that then it will spread wider and wider. The conversations can be hard to have so you can go to your brown friends and ask them how to start these conversations but it's not always on us. 

Naaz: What is something you wish people knew about your culture?

Asia: One of the microaggressions I always hear is that brown people are taking all the jobs in the Okanagan. And what I want to say to that is yes maybe they are and yes maybe they are working at Tim Hortons or the gas station but what's important to remember is that they are just trying to make it like the rest of you. People immigrating from India have to struggle a lot harder than we do to work, get an education, to make a living. They come from a whole different country, learn a completely different language, learn to drive in Canada, and so forth. They are just trying to make a successful life for themselves…just like you are. 

Naaz: What is something you wish people knew about South Asian women?

Asia: We are just as good as the men in our family. We can and do succeed and accomplish all the same things men do. We are strong and resilient but the sad thing is the media won’t show you that so you continue to stereotype us. 

Final Message

Asia’s final message: If you do experience sexism or racism be vocal about what is going on. Don’t keep it to yourself or your immediate circle. The more we report it, the more visible it will become, and only then will we start to see actual change.