Items

• 
  2021-04-06

  Open doors

  I am hard of hearing but I also have a chronic illness and a physical disability. For years I, and others like me, have asked to do more work from home and use video chat. We were told it’s too hard and expensive. Then COVID19 became a pandemic and all of a sudden our request wasn’t so hard or expensive anymore. All of a sudden we all had the same need. It was exciting as doors opened up for me that were always closed. I attended conferences I’d always dreamed of attending. Not only that, but since I was used to teaching music online already, my fellow music teachers gleaned the info from my lived experience. For the first time I was an equal. My answers for things came from resources they would never have thought worthy of consideration. With my fellow artists also now unemployed, I had everything necessary to start my dream business. A inclusive production group. Now when society uses the word inclusive or accessible, they don’t bother learning what this entails so they are mostly seriously lacking. My group represents, every body type, age, gender, ability, and voice type. No longer will anyone be stereotyped. When I sing for people, they say they could listen to me sing often. Yet I’m never considered for shows, wheelchair aside, due to me being a mezzo soprano. Producers want lyrics. The same voice type for every lead role. Not in my group. I write my own musicals in a way everyone gets a change to take centre stage. Now that my fellow artists are back working again, those who I hired 2020 are still with me. I am very grateful the doors of opportunity opened even if for a short time because that was enough to keep them open for me where needed. That was enough to gather those who can make and keep this dream a reality. We are set to debut our first show in June 2021. It doesn’t get better than that. So while COVID itself is horrendous, the lifestyle the pandemic made universal helped others see what we live daily, and it also created a more universal work place for all.
• 
  2020-10-05

  Asian American students discuss experience during COVID-19 pandemic

  Long-standing stereotypes and new pandemic-related misconceptions against Asians and Asian Americans still affect their day-to-day lives. University students of East Asian descent say they’ve felt alienated and scared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, hate crimes against Asians in the U.S. have increased and stricter regulations have been enforced against international students, particularly those from China. Since the spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China, Asians have been strongly connected to the virus in the public sphere. President Donald Trump has called COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus” and “kung flu” — associating Asians with the spread of the virus.
• 
  2020

  Asian American Experiences of Racism during COVID-19

  Over the past few months, the rise in xenophobic actions, racism, and violence against the AAPI community have been on the rise. Mainstream and fringe social media have perpetuated stereotypes and have scapegoated Asians as the cause of COVID-19. This rise in race and ethnically motivated hate happens alongside police brutality and anti-Black racism. Educators and parents should educate themselves and open conversations with their children and students about anti-racism.
• 
  2020-02-28

  COVID-19 and Discrimination in Nova Scotia

  A news release from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission asking Nova Scotians to be vigilant against discrimination based on ethnic or national origin as global health concerns heighten.
• 
  09/18/2020

  Lydia X Oral History, 2020/09/18

  The goal of this story was to capture a relatively normal COVID experience. This is not to say that this experience was not impactful. COVID has impacted all of us in small and big ways, and it's comforting to know we are far from alone in our experiences.