DEI Initiative / People / Dr. Fred Wah
Dr. Fred Wah
A Chinese-Canadian poet, writer and academic, Wah has used the arts to explore themes of identity, multiculturalism and racism. Wah’s writing has helped to raise awareness of the experiences of racism and discrimination in Canada. Wah identified that after Japanese Redress had begun and become more of a prevalent conversation politically and in the media, it made him begin to consider his own identity, and in particular, his identity as Chinese and pieces of it which were lost after his father had passed away. Wah uses his poems to process his identity and some of the challenges of appearing white but also processing his identity as Chinese, especially during a time when Chinese Canadians weren’t able to support their family members to immigrate to Canada. Ultimately, Wah’s work explores the idea of multiculturalism and racism and the complicated dynamic between people identifying as diverse and unique, while also trying to fit within the Canadian national identity.