DURING the last year there has been an increased number of reported anti-Asian racism incidents in Metro Vancouver. Project 1907 was founded by Asian women at the onset of the COVID-19 with the intent to elevate Asian voices that are underrepresented and undervalued in mainstream political, social and cultural discourse, including amplifying the voices of women.

The problem is growing worse:

• 1500+ incidents of anti-Asian racism have been reported to Elimin8hate and Fight COVID Racism
• British Columbia continues to have the most reported incidents per capita of any North American jurisdiction
• Per capita, Canada has more reported incidents than the United States by 100%

While awareness of the racism faced by Asians in Metro Vancouver is increasing, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of racist occurrences are not reported. Racist interactions may not be reported for a number of reasons, including language barriers, lack of trust in institutions, trauma and more.

In an effort to support people’s ability to report anti-Asian racism they have experienced or witnessed, project 1907 has created a platform for reports to be made in their own language, including:

• Arabic
• Chinese (simplified)
• Chinese (traditional)
• Hindi
• Japanese
• Korean
• Punjabi
• Tagalog
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

The reporting centre, including an English form, is available here: File a Report — #Elimin8Hate. The translated reporting form has been supported by Uber Canada.

All submissions are entirely confidential and will not be shared without the consent of the individual reporting the incident. No information is shared with law enforcement agencies. The data collected will be aggregated by project 1907 and the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter to analyze and understand the national impact of anti-Asian racism rising from COVID-19.

It is expected that the data will help to develop strategies, design interventions, raise awareness and advocate for policies and programs to improve outcomes for Asian communities in Canada.

The 2020 report can be viewed here.