Scribbled Lives Week 46—Hats Off!

This week’s prompt invited members to honour someone in a hat’s off way.

In 1921 my father arrived in Canada looking for the novel opportunities a young man might find in a country that was 50 years young. But Canada was experiencing growing pains. To discourage immigration from China, a head tax was imposed on all Chinese nationals in 1923, including those who were already admitted to the country. The racial bias of the Chinese Exclusion Act ran deep—the burdensome tax would have equalled the cost of a home or two. At the same time, non-Asian immigrants were enticed with free parcels of land.

It took courage and dignity to forge a life in an unwelcoming country.  It wasn’t until the Chinese enlisted in the Canadian military to serve in World War II that the country began to acknowledge their allegiance and to see them as other than foreigners.

After World War II, Canada became a signatory to the United Nations’ Charter of Human Rights. However, since the Chinese Exclusion Act contravened the Charter, the Canadian Parliament was compelled to address it. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947. My father was granted Canadian citizenship in 1955.

In June 2006, the Canadian government offered a formal apology to Chinese Canadians for the head tax, expressing sorrow for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants from 1923-1947. By this time, many who were impacted were no longer alive to hear the apology, including my father.

The 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act is being commemorated with an exhibition: ‘The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act’. The head tax was imposed on 81,000 Chinese in Canada. My family has been gathering documentation to contribute to the exhibition so that, with others, my father will be remembered.

Dad had a selection of hats that I thought made him look very dapper. I used to play with the feathers. He let me adjust them when we dressed up for special occasions or to go ‘visiting’.

Built-up pencil caps and watercolour on Saunders watercolour paper.