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Richmond NDP MLAs Aman Singh, Henry Yao and Kelly Greene say provincial grant funding will help fight systemic racism.

Multiculturalism grants to help fight racism in Richmond

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 4:57 PDT, Thu April 8, 2021

Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

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New Democrat MLAs Aman Singh, Henry Yao and Kelly Greene say provincial multiculturalism grant funding will help local organizations fight systemic racism throughout Richmond.

This year, priority was given to projects addressing anti-Indigenous, anti-Asian and anti-Black racism.

“The rise in reported incidents of hate and violence over the past year reminds us of the work still to be done to tackle racism,” said Richmond-Queensborough MLA Aman Singh. “By supporting these local multicultural projects, we are giving people in Richmond more tools to speak up and make our community safer.”

“There can be no room for racism or discrimination anywhere in B.C.,” added Richmond South Centre MLA Henry Yao. “I’m proud of the important work that the people and organizations in Richmond are doing to make our community stronger and more resilient, and these grants will allow that work to continue.”

Multiculturalism grant funding is provided to non-profit and charitable organizations for projects that build intercultural interaction, trust and understanding, or challenge racism, hate and systemic barriers. The MLAs said that through these projects, people across B.C. will soon have improved access to tools and resources to help them learn about the diversity of cultures that make up their communities.

“These projects will promote more cross-cultural dialogue and understanding in our community,” said Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond-Steveston. “We are empowering people to speak up and challenge racism when they see it or experience it.”

Five projects in Richmond are receiving grants:

• The Asian Canadian Equity Alliance Association is receiving $5,000 for a study on discrimination and hate crimes against East Asian Canadians.

• Cinevolution Media Arts Society is receiving $10,000 for a podcast series tackling the impacts of COVID-19, race relations and structural inequality.

• The Community Mental Wellness Association of Canada is receiving $5,000 for a month-long virtual multiculturalism get-together featuring activities supporting BIPOC communities in Richmond and surrounding cities.

• Richmond Multicultural Community Services is receiving $5,000 for a storytelling project focusing on the sharing of common experiences among the Asian community in feeling like they don’t belong, including creating a short film and website about anti-racism, holding monthly workshops, and creating social networking groups to discuss anti-racism.

• Richmond Public Library is receiving $5,000 for a podcast project that will support and celebrate the under-represented voices of BIPOC youth by providing access and training on how to create their own podcasts.

For 2020/21, the province is providing a $944,000 one-time boost to the grant funding as part of anti-racism initiatives through Stronger BC: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan.