Standing in the Doorway: Lived Histories and Experiences of the Chinese Community

Tribute to Early Chinese Immigrants Foundation Canada, Markham Museum, and York Region District School Board Museum & Archives
, York Region, Ontario

This collaborative, multi-faceted project commemorated the 100^th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Its aim was to acknowledge both historical and contemporary examples of racism, while highlighting the richness and diversity of York Region’s Chinese community as evidenced in the arts, culture, and sport. Through new oral histories, loaned artifacts, and family archives, the project team created a website, a physical exhibition to tour other museums, and a travelling school program with educational resources. Members of the local Chinese community played a pivotal role in shaping the project’s narrative by contributing personal stories of resilience, perseverance, and belonging.

In partnership with schools, community leadership, and educational institutions, organizers engaged more than 500 participants in the project’s creation. Standing in the Doorway emphasized the importance of representing, acknowledging, and affirming the lived experiences, histories, and stories that are often underrepresented in the broader context of Canadian history. The project has made a profound impact by fostering opportunities for learning environments that take participants’ varied backgrounds into account, and by strengthening community bonds.