South Asians' Long Struggle to be Recognized as Equals in B.C.

By Harsha Walia; Monday, November 17, 2008 - Special to the Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html...

Doctors, engineers, lawyers, elected officials, scientists, entrepreneurs, IT professionals, small business owners -- these are just some of the fields in which South Asians in British Columbia have excelled and readily come to mind as areas in which they have made significant contributions to society.

However, in considering the past century of South Asian presence in Canada, I would argue that the most notable achievements of South Asians in B.C. are not those that are a result of an individual's perseverance surviving in the belly of the beast. The most profound contributions have challenged the social positioning of being passive and eternally grateful immigrants, those that have refused to accommodate the colonial nation and have fundamentally transformed this society for the betterment of all.

One of the most significant contributions was made by the early South Asian pioneers. They struggled against the exclusionary 1908 Continuous Journey Rule, which was predicated on the principle of "Keeping Canada White." While the fight to defend the 376 passengers aboard the Komagata Maru is a defining moment in Canadian history, what is less well known is the contributions of the early migrants to struggle not only against racist immigration policies but also against British colonial rule across the Dominion. The Ghadr movement united Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus to struggle against the British -- not simply for self-rule within the Empire -- but for full independence.

In doing so, they contributed in laying a foundation for a global political and morally conscious movement for the freedom and liberation of colonized peoples. We cannot underestimate the power of this legacy to inspire future generations in Canada to seek positive social change in the face of "the great white wall" of repressive immigration laws, denial of the right to vote, poor working conditions and racial violence.

In addition, the Ghadr movement fostered not only a political awakening, it facilitated the strengthening of social institutions. Given the lessened though continuing reality of discrimination and isolation faced by the South Asian community in B.C., these formal and informal community support networks play a pivotal role. Thousands of people contribute to sustaining food, housing, financial support, jobs, child and elder care and communication ties for the betterment of individuals and families, while also modelling an ethic of care and compassion for all of society.

Another significant contribution made by South Asians in B.C. has been the advancement of the demands for racial and economic justice by thousands of South Asian farm workers, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. As Canada's forgotten workers who toil in the fields to feed us, they have endured slave-like conditions with 14-hour work days often making $1 per hour, living in converted chicken coops and suffering from chronic health problems.

In the face of such injustices and a society largely indifferent to their plight, they carried forward a momentous struggle to transform their bitter harvest of poverty, racism, and sickness to achieve significant victories: Victories such as the historic founding of the Canadian Farm Workers Union to advocate for an exploited sector of workers who, not by coincidence, were largely immigrant women of colour. Victories like the gruelling 15-month strike at the Jensen Mushroom farms that resulted in the first labour contract, or the Money's Mushroom strike initiated by five Punjabi women that effectively shut down the sale and distribution of mushrooms across B.C., with the support of other unions.

Rallying around the slogan of "united we stand and divided we fall," the Canadian Farmworkers Union captured the imagination of all working-class people in B.C. and continues to remain as a beacon of hope to win in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds as second-class workers and second-class citizens.

Such dedicated struggle has not been limited to farm workers; it has extended to mill workers, forest workers and truckers. With the onslaught of privatization, outsourcing and heavy reliance on temporary and contract labour, it includes the thousands of determined non-unionized workers who are predominantly South Asian women to demand better working conditions, a living wage, and an end to being treated as commodities in a flexible labour market.

There are some who might disagree with these characterizations. Yet the freedom for me to express this opinion and not be cast as an ungrateful cultural outsider to this nation is predicated on the profound struggle of South Asian-Canadians to claim both the right to belong and the right to resist assimilation through a culture of genuine public participation and dissent.

Harsha Walia is a Vancouver-based activist, writer, and legal researcher.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008