By Cathy Shi

Twenty‑two years ago, when I began my life as a new immigrant Ph.D. student in Edmonton, I knew little about the concept or the reality of racial discrimination. I learned both sooner than I expected.
Experiences of racism left me with a sense of shame and helplessness for many years. However, reading Daniel Fried’s book The Activist: A Daoist Protest Manual resulted in a profound change in my perspectives. I realized that the traditional wisdoms I had grown up with could offer not only personal comfort but also meaningful ways to respond to racism. When, as leader of the Edmonton Chinese Writing Club (ECWC), I received information about the City of Edmonton's Anti-Racism Grant Program, I was determined to apply for it. The resulting project, “Anti-Racism Storytelling and Dialogue Rooted in Chinese Wisdom,” was designed to support Chinese Canadians and allies in fighting racism through creative writing workshops, a writers’ retreat, a public symposium, a project website, and this community anthology. Following training in identity, Daoism-inspired writing, archival research, and ethics, twenty-seven writers, including ECWC members and representatives from local Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese communities, as well as the University of Alberta, submitted their works. Their pieces are complemented by artwork from the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts and Chinese Canadian artists.
What makes this collection distinctive is that while the stories do not shy away from the hardships of discrimination, they deliberately move beyond victimhood to highlight successful experiences, transformative journeys, and enlightening reflections. Drawn from lived experience, interviews, and research, the contributions reflect the rich diversity of Chinese and other Asian communities in Edmonton across generations and migration journeys. They explore settlement and belonging, language and identity, work and education, community leadership and civic engagement, cultural heritage, intergenerational and interracial relationships, and place-based stories rooted in Edmonton's neighborhoods, including Chinatown.
These stories matter.
For seventeen years, the ECWC has used storytelling as a tool to challenge bias, cultivate belonging, and strengthen social cohesion. In a world marked by polarization and division, and in an Edmonton that is becoming more culturally diverse than ever, preserving these memories and encouraging these conversations are not just timely; it is essential. They resist stereotypes, build mutual understanding, and foster harmony.
May these stories surprise, challenge, and inspire you through the richness and complexity of the voices they bring together, the resilience and wisdom they embody, and the unexpected ways ordinary lives deepen our understanding of belonging, identity, justice, and one another.