PhD Candidate Explores Anti-Racism and Decolonization in Vancouver’s Chinatown in Award-Winning Paper

Yi Chien [Jade] Ho, a PhD candidate, has received the Paul Tai Yip Ng Memorial Award for Best Graduate Student Paper for her exceptional work exploring anti-racism and decolonization. Her paper, titled Anti-Racism Efforts with Decolonization: Reflections from Organizing in Vancouver’s Chinatown, explores diasporic-Indigenous relations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) through a self-reflexive and ethnographically grounded approach.

Ho expressed surprise and honor at receiving the award, sharing, "I feel a collective pride for the Chinatown grassroots community and organizers that I have been working with for the past decade. This work is not just a dedication to them but also belongs to them." Her experiences as a language teacher in Mexico and her own experiences of marginalization led her to pursue a graduate degree and explore the connections between education, society, and the world.

In her paper, Ho reflects on her experiences organizing working-class senior residents and allies in Vancouver’s Chinatown and how they align their anti-racism and anti-gentrification efforts with decolonization. She highlights the importance of recognizing the connection between racism and colonialism and argues that decolonization must be concretely implemented to build an anti-racist community.

Ho’s work emphasizes the necessity of aligning anti-racism efforts with decolonization and serves as an inspiration for others to resist, heal, and flourish despite oppressive systems. As a third-generation Han settler in Taiwan and through her experiences with immigrating to Belize, Ho believes that the commitment to decolonization in one place can also propel one to pay attention to all the places and lands they have either lived in or been to. 

Ho worked closely with her supervisor, Dr. Mark Fettes, during this process. Fettes recognized the deeply researched thesis and work Ho was conducting in Chinatown and encouraged her work to be considered for this award.

"As we strive towards truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, this work offers promise not just for the specific community studied, but as a model for solidarity work in other Asian immigrant communities," says Fettes. "It was with great enthusiasm that I recommended this paper for the Paul Tai Yip Ng Memorial Award, as it represents a significant contribution to our understanding of contemporary issues and a true inspiration for transformative action."