REVIEWS
The Bow River Pathway
— Suzanne Chew
Places of belonging / Spaces of alienation
Winding for a thousand kilometres across diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods and parks, Calgary’s urban network of pathways and bikeways is the most extensive multi-use system across all of North America,[1] and much beloved by locals. Along these corridors of connection, pedestrians, roller-skaters, and cyclists of all ages and ethnicities come together in conversation rich with a plethora of accents. Yet, are these places of belonging and serendipity turning into spaces of alienation and anxiety?
Rising wave of hatred against Asian bodies in Calgary
Jessica Lau, an Asian Canadian who has called Calgary home for close to three decades, was longboarding along the riverside pathway in Inglewood, a leafy residential neighbourhood, when a young man, cycling past, called her racial slurs and spat on her. Unbeknownst to the perpetrator, Jessica’s partner was recording a video while it happened, and captured this hate crime on tape. Justin Williams, former manager of the basketball team at the University of Calgary, was arrested for this, as well as for two other assault charges,and a charge of weapon possession.[2]
What happens when the places we call home no longer feel safe? In East Village, Alphonse Uy, a young Filipino-Chinese Calgarian, was walking home, laden with grocery bags, when a passing truck driver hurled slurs at him.[3] In Harvest Hills, a lakeside residential community in Calgary’s northeast, an Asian senior man was driving when he was verbally abused by a male driver, who proceeded to pull over in front of him to get out and violently kick in his car door, before fleeing the scene.[4] Along Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary, Raman Sawhney, a young woman of colour, was walking with an iced coffee on Friday morning when she was “grabbed, pushed, sworn at, and chased”; bystanders chose to look away.[5] Across Canada, incidents of anti-Asian racism exceed those in the United States on a per Asian capita basis. Most of these attacks are against Asian women, and around a third of racist encounters are violent.[6] In Calgary, people of Asian ethnicity face a rising wave of verbal abuse, vandalism, property damage, and physical assault.[7][8]
Raman fought back, ran, and found refuge in a nail salon. She said, “I wish someone had stepped in.”[9] Alphonse experienced anger, confusion, and shame; he said, “people forget that every person has their own story.”[10] What might happen if we embrace each other’s stories, and choose not to look away?
Spaces of alienation
During this pandemic, when I do venture out, I perform a protective ritual-bundling my dark hair up, wearing my baseball cap, and keeping my face mask on at all times. You’d have to look twice to work out my ethnicity. I’d joked with a friend of mine–a strong, confident Indigenous woman who has often been mistaken for Asian, especially during this pandemic–of passing for white as a way to feel safe. Why, we could bleach our hair, wear blue contacts, and cover our skin! We’d laughed, somewhat sardonically. Yet, why should we trade our heritage for a modicum of safety?
I treasure the richness of my diasporic experiences across cultures, having lived, worked, and studied in three different countries. I hold dear the chaotic joys of growing up in a multigenerational household, with memories of my Nai Nai, or grandmother, preparing fragrant chicken soup infused with ginseng. Yet, colonialism is deeply embedded in the woven threads of my life–as a child, my aunties taught me to pinch the bridge of my button nose, so that it would grow “straight”; I stayed silent for a year when British teens in my new school made fun of my accent; I learned to bring cold sandwiches instead of home-cooked lunches to work when a colleague loudly complained, “What smells like rotting garbage?”
Colonialism and white supremacy further complicate the cultures of harmony and silence[11] that characterize many Asian communities. Audre Lorde, Black feminist poet, wrote, "My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you."[12] Yet, staying silent is the precise lesson my mother still drills into me, to keep me safe from harm.
Be inconspicuous!
Avoid confrontation!
Don’t say anything!
These are the teachings in triplicate, for better or worse, that many of our Asian immigrant parents have handed down to us.[13]
Those oppressed are often reproached to reclaim our spaces, to resist and fight back. I’m often told by my friends, whenever I recount yet another incident of everyday violence by complete strangers, that I should have done something. I should have stood my ground, should have taken up space.
Each time I venture out on the Bow River pathway, I steel myself for yet another act of micro/macro-aggression against me. The blonde runner, clad in black lycra, at Harvie Passage who swore vituperatively at me because I didn’t move out of her way fast enough. The motorist who sped up when I pressed the lights at the pedestrian crossing in Parkdale, and flipped me off as she drove past. The group of laughing adults occupying the full width of the riverside path in Inglewood, who casually expected me to make way for them. The middle-aged cyclist in Kensington who angrily ordered me to “Take off your mask!”, as if she had a right to police my body. And so on.
“Perhaps, they’re just awful people,” I’ve been told. I often wonder if I wasn’t a small Asian woman, but rather a tall white man, whether these things would still keep happening.
Frankly, it’s exhausting.
It's exhausting squeezing oneself so small such that no space is taken up that could conceivably inconvenience others. It’s exhausting willing oneself invisible to avoid any notice at all. It’s exhausting wondering what I could have done differently to avoid all this hate.
But it’s terrifying to speak up. It’s terrifying to fight back. My friends tell me that, “You could have taken her down easily!” when I recount how a woman with grey in her hair got out of her car and threatened my life while I was strolling along the sidewalk in Yellowknife. I’d walked away, quickly, instead, with my heart leaping in my chest.
Cathy Park Hong writes, “I’ve been raised and educated to please white people and this desire to please has become ingrained into my consciousness.”[14] Our very minds and bodies betray us into incontrovertible and wearied submission.
Standing at the intersection of racism and colonialism
The heart of Calgary’s cherished pathway system lies at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers–a gentle and open green, the traditional gathering place for the many Indigenous peoples that Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary) is home to. In 1875, Fort Calgary was built on this place by the North-West Mounted Police; today, the Fort is recognized as the “birthplace of the City of Calgary,”[15] and lives on as a museum showcasing the city’s complex and conflicted histories. A wrought iron statue of a Mountie, astride his horse, stands nearby, high up on a white plinth inscribed with the phrase: “What was it like to stand in the middle of a wide open prairie and imagine a city?”
Last summer, I saw this plinth defaced with the phrase, “Decolonize Canada.” The blood red graffiti was swiftly and quietly removed. No report of it made it into the news. Globally, this country is upheld as a paragon of inclusivity; it is perceived as the best place in the world for caring about human rights.[16] Yet, this belies the state’s brutal colonization of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples–a genocidal strategy to dispossess them of resource-rich land[17]—and the systemic colonialism that endures today.
As a person living in Calgary, Treaty 7 lays upon me the responsibility of being in-relation with the peoples to whom these traditional territories belong. As Dr. linda manyguns[18] says, “Treaties are not just with government, they’re with all the people the government represents too, so every single person here, in the Alberta Treaty 7 region, is a relation of ours now, and considered a friend.”
What is the role of people of colour who are voluntary settlers on Indigenous lands[19] in Calgary? What are our attendant responsibilities in decolonization? The hatred that fuels anti-Asian racism is rooted in the same white supremacist structures and colonial logics of dispossession. It is impossible to speak of acting against racism without in the same breath seeking to decolonize, working towards realizing Indigenous sovereignty on Indigenous terms, and joining in the call for “Land Back”–the repatriation of stolen lands and the honouring of treaties.[20]
Mending the spaces of our belonging
In the heady days of summer, people sail down the Bow River in everything from stand-up paddleboards to inflatable swans, and families frolic in the shallow waters of St. Patrick’s Island, just off Fort Calgary. For a thousand kilometres, people of all ages and ethnicities stroll, jog, skate, and bike alongside each other.
They share moments of connection–what Doreen Massey,[21] geographer, describes as the serendipity of space; ephemeral moments of belonging to each other. During spring, smiling with fellow cyclists waiting patiently for a family of geese with a fluffy troop of goslings to cross the bikeway safely. Over summer, nodding at others likewise enjoying the warm sunshine. In the fall, sharing feelings of wonder at golden trees rustling in the breeze at sunset–who knew oak leaves could be so intensely yellow as to almost glow?
We live in a brave new world of truth and reconciliation, alongside a concomitant reckoning with racism,[22] yet to whom do these shared sidewalks and public pathways really belong? What does it mean to transform spaces into places of meaningful belonging? These questions inevitably unsettle, especially in a place like Calgary. Kim TallBear,[23] Dakota scholar, conceptualized what “standing with community” means–upholding the communal responsibility of being each other’s keeper. I see this ethics of care embodied in Calgarians I know who have enthusiastically undergone bystander intervention training[24] to ensure that, on their watch, no one stands alone when faced with hatred. I see it in the tireless work done by local groups and people of all ethnicities, speaking up against hate and violence.[25] I see it reflected in myself and my friends of colour as we struggle in our persistence to unlearn the many things we were told, that no longer serve us.
Audre Lorde said, “You do not have to be me in order for us to fight alongside each other. I do not have to be you to recognize that our wars are the same.”[26] This fearless work of embracing kinship and building community–this might be how we begin to mend the spaces of our belonging.
References
[1] City of Calgary, “Pathways and Trails,” accessed June 11, 2021, https://www.calgary.ca/csps/parks/pathways/pathways-in-calgary.html.
[2] Joel Dryden, “Former U of C Basketball Manager Charged with Spitting on 3 People, Using Racial Slurs,” CBC News, July 20, 2020, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/justin-williams-jessica-lau-basketball-university-of-calgary-1.5655339.
[3] Tricia Lo, “How the Target of a Racist Slur Is Using His Art to Encourage Others to Speak Up,” CBC News, April 26, 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alphonse-uy-anti-asian-racism-calgary-1.6002184.
[4] Kaylen Small, “Calgary Police Looking for Witnesses of 2 Racist Incidents in April,” Global News, May 5, 2021, https://globalnews.ca/news/7838099/calgary-hate-crimes-blm-graffiti-anti-asian-road-rage/.
[5] Herring, Jason. “Alberta Minister Says 25-Year-Old Daughter Was Victim of Racist Attack.” Calgary Herald. June 25, 2021. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/alberta-ministers-daughter-victim-of-racist-attack.
[6] Project 1907, “National Collaboration of Data Collection on Anti-Asian Racism,” September 2020, https://www.project1907.org/reportingcentre.
[7] Kathy Le, “CTV Special News Presentation - COVID 19: The Spread of Racism” (Canada: CTV News, 2021), https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2053973.
[8] David Wright, “Opinion: Racism in a Pandemic Has Raised Its Ugly Head in Calgary,” Calgary Herald, May 29, 2020, https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-racism-in-a-time-of-pandemic-has-raised-its-ugly-head-in-calgary.
[9] Jason Herring, “Alberta MLA’s Daughter Speaks out after Racist Attack,” SaltWire, June 26, 2021, https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/canada/alberta-mlas-daughter-speaks-out-after-racist-attack-100604917/.
[10] Lo, “How the Target of a Racist Slur Is Using His Art to Encourage Others to Speak Up.”
[11] Tam, C.-L. (2006). Harmony hurts: Participation and silent conflict at an Indonesian fish pond. Environmental Management, 38(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-8851-4
[12] Audre Lorde, “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action,” in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (Berkeley, CA.: Crossing, 2007), 40–44.
[13] Ann Watts Pailliotet, “‘I’m Really Quiet’: A Case Study of an Asian Language Minority Preservice Teacher’s Experiences,” Teaching and Teacher Education 13, no. 7 (1997): 675–90, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(97)81484-9; Joy L Lei, “(Un)Necessary Toughness?: Those ‘Loud Black Girls’ and Those ‘Quiet Asian Boys,’” Anthropology & Education Quarterly 34, no. 2 (2003): 158–81, https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.2003.34.2.158.
[14] Cathy Park Hong, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning (New York, NY: One World, 2021).
[15] Fort Calgary, “Land Acknowledgements,” accessed June 18, 2021, https://www.fortcalgary.com/land-acknowledgements.
[16] Zoya Wazir, “The 10 Countries That Care the Most About Human Rights, Based on Perception,” US News, June 16, 2021, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/the-10-countries-that-care-the-most-about-human-rights-according-to-perception.
[17] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, “Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,” 2015, https://doi.org/978-0-660-02078-5.
[18] Calgary Public Library, “Treaty Day: The Making of Treaty 7,” September 30, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgUCUser3xY.
[19] Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang, “Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor,” Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society 1, no. 1 (2012): 1–40.
[20] Nic Meloney, “Land Back: Movement to Reclaim Indigenous Land Grows,” CBC Radio, January 28, 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/land-back-movement-to-reclaim-indigenous-land-grows-1.5891912; Shiri Pasternak, Hayden King, and Yellowhead Institute, “Land Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper,” 2019, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvrf8922.22.
[21] Doreen Massey, For Space (Thousand Oaks, CA.; London: SAGE, 2005).
[22] Tristin Hopper, “One Third of Canadians Believe They Live in a Racist Country: Poll,” National Post, June 22, 2021, https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/one-third-of-canadians-believe-they-live-in-a-racist-country-poll; Emerald Bensadoun, “Over 50% of Canadians Think Systemic Racism Built into Country’s Institutions, Poll Says,” Global News, February 18, 2021, https://globalnews.ca/news/7632579/canada-systemic-racism-foundation/.
[23] Kim TallBear, “Standing With and Speaking as Faith: A Feminist-Indigenous Approach to Inquiry,” Journal of Research Practice 10, no. 2 (2014): 1–7.
[24] Suzanne Chew, “Standing Together While Standing Apart,” The Monocle (Calgary, June 10, 2020), http://themonocle.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2020/06/10/standing-together-while-standing-apart/.
[25] Christa Dao, “Calgary Joins Rallies across Canada Calling to ‘Stop Asian Hate,’” Global News, March 28, 2021, https://globalnews.ca/news/7725222/stop-asian-hate-calgary-rally/; Government of Alberta, “Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council,” accessed June 18, 2021, https://www.alberta.ca/anti-racism-advisory-council.aspx; “Asian Gold Ribbon,” accessed June 12, 2021, https://asiangoldribbon.com/; “ACT2ENDRACISM – Asian Canadians Together to End Racism,” accessed June 12, 2021, https://act2endracism.ca/; “Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice,” accessed June 12, 2021, https://ccncsj.ca/.
[26] Audre Lorde, “Learning from the 60s,” in Address to Harvard University during Malcom X Weekend (Cambridge, MA, 1982), https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1982-audre-lorde-learning-60s/.
Suzanne Chew is an international student at the University of Calgary who has published poetry and short stories as part of reflecting on her role and responsibility as a doctoral researcher. Her research focuses on inclusive participation and environmental decision-making, learning from Inuit communities in western Nunavut. She participated in the 2021 WriteON workshop series, Amend.