Highlighting Asian-Canadians in the community

May is Asian Heritage Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the rich history of Asian-Canadians and their contributions to our country.

Throughout the month,CBC Ottawa willshare the stories of Asian-Canadians in the community. Here's a look at our special coverage:

Interviews on CBC Listen

Ottawa Morning

• Book tips for kids & teens for Asian Heritage Month
  Celebrate Asian authors with suggestions from our book panel. From a novel about rival pho shops, to a storybook about a young girl's kimono, to the tale of breaking into the K-pop industry.
• Reconnecting to Vietnamese culture through food
  A young Vietnamese-Canadian man is learning how to cook traditional dishes to reconnect with his culture.
• Local artist from Uzbekistan on Asian Heritage Month
  Kseniya Tsoy takes Ottawans on a virtual journey through Uzbekistan to share her culture and history. She's giving a presentation as part of the Ottawa Public Library's Asian Heritage Month programming.

All In A Day

• Ottawa's Asian-Canadian comedians making space for themselves on stage
  Comic Michaela Chung talks about the first time she saw another comedian who looked like her perform, and how that helped kickstart her career in comedy.
• Seeing Me On TV: Jamie Liew on what "The Joy Luck Club" meant to her
  Immigration lawyer Jamie Liew reflects on the first time she watched the movie "The Joy Luck Club," with her four friends. The movie deeply resonated with her as it depicted the relationship between mothers and daughters in the Chinese diaspora.
• Seeing Me on TV #2: Asian Heritage Month
  Sheryl Bagga remembers seeing Lisa Ray in the movie, Bollywood/Hollywood
• Seeing Me on TV #3: Asian Heritage Month
  Melvin Lee remembers the first time he saw Korean actors onCanadian television.
• Seeing Me on TV #4: Asian Heritage Month
  We speak with Hannah Beltran, who is the president of Carleton's Filipinio Students' Association about the first time she saw Vanessa Hudgens on the screen.

In Town and Out

• CelebrAsian Dance
  The CelebrAsian Dance event will showcase both the beauty and common ground found in three dance styles from China, Korea and India.
  

Interviews on CBC Gem

Our Ottawa

• Food Instagrammer, entrepreneur and stylist Kellie Vutalks with Our Ottawa host Adrian Harewood about her Vietnamese-Canadian heritage and her mom's influence on her passion for food. Plus, she cooks lobster and chives dumplings. Watch it here.

Special features to read

My Korean name is Ki Sun, and I'm choosing not to be ashamed of it anymore
This First Person article is the experience of Priscilla Hwang, a reporter for CBC Ottawa who is reclaiming her Korean name, Ki Sun.

Chinese mothers of new babies grapple with parenthood in a pandemic
Separated from their own mothers, 2 women reflect on their year with a newborn.

Why 'Asian' isn't a one-size-fits-all term for many Canadians
During Asian Heritage Month, some struggle to identify with the word used to describe an entire continent.

#ProudlyAsianCanadian Digital Series (CBC Facebook)
Meet Ottawa choreographer and storyteller, Brian Tong and find out what itmeans to him to be Asian-Canadian in 2021.

• Virtual events, reading lists, film suggestions and more. Check out our list of Asian Heritage Month resources to help you mark the occasion.