Organizer: Asian Heritage Month
Cost: free!
Pre-event estimate: 2-3 out of 5 (depends on your interests on the topic)
Post-event rating: 4 out of 5
Continuous Journey recounts the events in which 376 people with valid British India passports were stranded on the ship "Komagata Maru" just outside of Vancouver for over two months in 1914. The government's White Canada policy at the time, the fear felt in the general public probably because of the sheer number of newcomers, and some unfortunate comments on independence of India expressed by some members and quoted by the US intelligence put those people in a political limbo. They never set foot on Canadian soil.
I was touched by Edward Bird's foresight and courage to be the defending lawyer on this case and on other cases involving minority clients. It was disturbing to learn how Canadian government at the time blatantly impose injustice based on one's ethnic background. But to me, this movie is not just about telling the tales of Komagata Maru and pointing out who is right and who is wrong; it is not only about learning what happened to Indian Canadians in the past either. The most important thing is to raise awareness that discrimination against age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability and cultural background does exist: We need to advocate for those who may not have a voice in the society. The fight against inequality is, and will always be, a continuous journey.
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