By Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative
Without the labour of Asian immigrants, who ran the city’s lumber mill and built railroads all over Canada, Abbotsford wouldn’t be what it is today. Many of the South Asian families in the valley are second and third generation Canadians with established roots in the local community.
Continue reading The hushed Racist history of AbbotsfordBy Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative
A co-chair of the Race and Anti-Racism Network and professor at UFV, Ian Rocksborough-Smith says white supremacy in the city now looks different than it did in the 1900s. Organizations like the Heritage Society are predominantly white as well, as are most of the other influential groups in the valley. Abbotsford is also the only city in the valley that didn’t swing NDP, and stayed largely Liberal in the last provincial election, and it’s the home riding of the Christian Heritage Party, which Rocksborough-Smith describes as “a white nationalist neo-fascist party.” This reflects the ideals and beliefs of the people living there: Largely conservative and religious.
Continue reading Tying history to present-day racismBy Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative
To understand the nature of systemic racism and white supremacy in Abbotsford, you have to understand the history. But that history can be hard to find, tucked away in archives and couched in vague language. The information is there if you look, and it speaks volumes about the area’s past in relation to upholding structures that support white settlers.
In 1925, American Klu Klux Klan members came to Abbotsford in search of new recruits. For $10 apiece, residents born in Canada, the US, the UK, and Northern Europe who were white, male, able-bodied, Protestant, and “of sound mind” could sign up to join the KKK and become part of an organized effort to “maintain forever White Supremacy.”
Continue reading The Klu Klux Klan comes to AbbotsfordBy Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. This content might include some explicit language.
Abbotsford, BC is the largest municipality in the Fraser Valley Regional District, an exurban area about an hour east of Vancouver. It’s growing very quickly, with a 2013 City of Abbotsford Official Community Plan expecting 40,000 new residents within 20 years.
Continue reading Abbotsford’s secret History of Racism: IntroductionDarren Davidson, Kootenay Co-op Radio – CJLY, 93.5fm Nelson BC, Local Journalism Initiative
The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce has been in the middle of the region’s COVID storm for over 12 months.
Continue reading 73% of BC Businesses were receiving Government subsidies, survey says
