Past Events at the Asian Institute
May 2023
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Saturday, May 13th Asian Heritage Month Festival: Opening Ceremony
Date Time Location Saturday, May 13, 2023 11:00AM - 1:00PM External Event, The ceremony will take place at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue. + Register for this Event Print this Event Bookmark this Event
Description
Celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the Signing of Asian Heritage Month Declaration by Senate of Canada and Presentation of the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts by Canada Council for the Arts. Learn about more Asian Heritage Month events at https://www.vmacch.com
Read participant bios and view the full poster at https://uoft.me/AHMOpeningCeremonyPoster2023
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH 2023 OPENING CEREMONY
Asian Heritage Month Lecture: “IT WAS ABOUT TIME.” The story behind Asian Heritage in Canada
A talk between The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy and Mr. Justin Poy.
Presentation of the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts to Asian Canadian Dance Artist Ms. Yvonne Ng by Ms. Caroline Lussier, Director of Arts Promotion, Canada Council for the Arts.
“Capturing the Moment and Beyond – Haiku Photography” by Mr. Stephen Siu.
Slideshow of Photographic Images by Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto with music by Professor Chan Ka Nin and Alice Ping Yee Ho.
Dim Sum Lunch Reception sponsored by Mr. Justin Poy.
If you are attending a Munk School event and require accommodation(s), please email the event contact listed above to make appropriate arrangements.
Disclaimer: Please note that events posted on this website are considered to be public events – unless otherwise stated – and you are choosing to enter a space where your image and/or voice may be captured as part of event proceedings that may be made public as part of a broadcast, webcast, or publication (online and in print). We make every effort to ensure your personal information is kept and used in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). If you have any questions please get in touch with our office at munkschool@utoronto.ca or 416-946-8900.
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Saturday, May 13th Film Screening of Karin Lee’s "Incorrigible: A Film About Velma Demerson"
Date Time Location Saturday, May 13, 2023 3:00PM - 5:30PM External Event, The screening will take place at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue. Print this Event Bookmark this Event
Description
To commemorate Asian Heritage Month, CCNC-SJ & Toronto Reel Asian International Festival Co-Present
Incorrigible: A Film About Velma Demerson, film screening and panel
Join us for a free screening of Karin Lee’s Incorrigible: A Film About Velma Demerson on May 13, 2023, at 3 PM located at Innis Hall, University of Toronto’s downtown campus.
Following the screening will be a panel bringing together the illustrious voices of Karin Lee, writer and director; Lisa Mar, associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Toronto; and Rosel Kim, senior staff lawyer at the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), with moderator Jan Wong, Canadian academic, journalist, and writer.
2023 marks the centenary of Canada’s 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, which deemed people of Chinese descent “unsuitable for citizenship”, and prevented people of Chinese heritage from entering Canada for 24 years. This dark part of Canada’s history is shared with the signing of the Williams Treaties and the passing of the Female Refugees Act in 1913 by the Ontario Legislature, which created a unique intersection of vulnerabilities for women. This Act granted judges the power to order the incarceration of women in Ontario and the placement of girls identified as uncontrollable or ‘incorrigible’ into reform facilities, where they were expected to work to support the institution.
In 1939 Velma Demerson was labelled as ‘incorrigible’ and jailed for falling in love with Harry Yip, a Chinese man she would later marry. Demerson was only 18 years old at the time of her imprisonment at the Belmont Home and Mercer Reformatory for Women. Sixty years later, Demerson successfully sued the Ontario government for her wrongful incarceration, arguing that the Female Refugees Act was in fact disguised criminal law and is outside provincial jurisdiction. After her legal battle in 2002, Demerson received an official apology from Premier Ernie Eves and continued to advocate for women’s and children’s rights until her passing on May 13, 2019.
Co-presented by Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and CCNC-SJ, this screening would not be possible without the collective support of our co-sponsors from the University of Toronto and The Metropolitan Lincoln Alexander School of Law. Reserve your tickets at reelasian.com.
Co-Sponsored by
TMU Lincoln Alexander School of Law
U of T, Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
U of T, Dr. David Chu program in Asia Pacific Studies
University College, U of T Canadian Studies Program
U of T, Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies
U of T at Scarborough, Department of Arts, Culture and Media
TMU Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Asian Pacific Law Students’ Association (APLSA)
U of T Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI)
If you are attending a Munk School event and require accommodation(s), please email the event contact listed above to make appropriate arrangements.
Disclaimer: Please note that events posted on this website are considered to be public events – unless otherwise stated – and you are choosing to enter a space where your image and/or voice may be captured as part of event proceedings that may be made public as part of a broadcast, webcast, or publication (online and in print). We make every effort to ensure your personal information is kept and used in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). If you have any questions please get in touch with our office at munkschool@utoronto.ca or 416-946-8900.