South Asian Professionals of BC, feed and served 1,000 hotdogs to poor people in East Vancouver!

Hotdog Day feeds 1,000 homeless

Wed, April 09 2008

It was a beautiful sunny day as the line was formed down the block awaiting hot dogs, juice, coffee and dessert for all.

The Association of South Asian Professionals of British Columbia (ASAP) served 1,000 hotdogs to the less fortunate. The group worked with Friendship Providers in Action, had its Hotdog Day for the Homeless at Oppenheimer Park in East Vancouver.

The group of South Asian professionals also distributed over 100 pieces of gently used clothing to the less fortunate members of society.

By raising awareness, ASAP hopes others will join in to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the approximately 2,300 homeless people in Vancouver.

“The issue of homelessness should be a major concern for everyone in British Columbia,” says Jindy Bhalla, President of ASAP. “There are several reports suggesting that the number of people that will be homeless could triple in the Lower Mainland in the next few years.

“This problem needs to be addressed now before it gets any worse. ASAP and its members are doing their part by getting involved and giving back to the community.”

Bhalla added that ASAP encourages and challenging others to join them to help resolve the plight of the homeless.

“This is fantastic, you guys are great, we really appreciated all you are doing for us,” said one homeless man.

Others rejoiced: “Thank you, thank you; you have really made our day!”

In a couple of hours, all the food was served and they all left with smiles on their faces.

This was the second major event ASAP has held during its short existence.

This past December, ASAP members donated brand new warm blankets to over 300 homeless people during the winter cold spell.

Each member of ASAP purchased these blankets with their own funds to show their commitment to ASAP’s vision.

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Colour-blind love
By Lucy-Claire Saunders

The subject has been one of taboo throughout history, but slowly the tide is turning as Canada witnesses a growing wave of interracial marriages.

There were 289,420 mixed-race couples in 2006 — one third more than in 2001, according to a Statistics Canada report. That’s a 33.1 per cent increase in the number of mixed unions (marriage and common-law).

Wendy Roth, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, says paying attention to interracial marriages is a way of “taking the temperature” of present dynamics between different groups.

“When there is a lot of social distance or difference in status among these groups they’re very unlikely to marry because they’re not going to meet each other and they’re not going to be seen as equals,” she told the Asian Pacific Post/South Asian Post. “So when you have rising rates of intermarriage, it’s a signal that different groups are assimilating and integrating into society.”

The vast majority — 85 per cent — of interracial couples counted in the 2006 census involved a white person, or an aboriginal, and a visible minority. But marriages among couples from two different visible minority groups are also on a steep incline at 15 per cent.

Over three-quarters of Japanese are likely to enter a mixed union, the census showed. The second and third groups most likely to be involved in an interracial relationship are Latin Americans (47 per cent) and blacks (40.6 per cent).

In contrast, South Asians and Chinese are among the least likely to form a union outside their group.

Roth says there is no definitive explanation for this, but thoughts circulating in academic circles usually acknowledge that these visible minorities usually put a lot more emphasis on preserving the community and maintaining it through their children and their adult unions.
On the other hand, it could just be about demographics.

“These are communities that tend to be concentrated in certain geographical regions, so they are more likely to meet someone from their own group,” Roth explained.

But for many young Indo-Canadians who do fall in love with someone from another race, Canada’s multicultural frontier has not made it any easier for them to convince their parents that their community’s religion and culture can survive in the face of an interracial marriage.

“When I met Jason I knew my family wouldn’t be thrilled that he wasn’t East Indian so I kept it a secret for along time because I wasn’t even sure that Jason and I would end up getting serious,” said Mindy Nagra, who is engaged to Jason Hornberger. “It did take its toll on our relationship.”

Nagra, 25, is of East Indian heritage and was raised in the Sikh religion. She is first generation Canadian and met Hornberger, who is white, in Calgary while attending university. The two are engaged and plan to have a January wedding in Mexico.

“I know it’s hard for my parents to accept everything that has been thrown at them,” Nagra told the Asian Pacific Post/South Asian Post.

“Sometimes I think about how much they had to adjust to being immigrants. I know that my parents feel that they have a lot of stress and are under scrutiny from their family and the community.

“I wish they understood that people are more accepting of interracial marriages than they were a few years ago.”

By dating Nagra, Hornberger has had an eye-opening glimpse into Indian culture, and while eager to be accepted into her family, he still feels confused about constantly being rejected because of the colour of his skin.

“I often can’t see it as anything other than straight-up racism,” he said. “And I can’t understand how someone can come to another country, hope, and ask, to be accepted, then turn around and not afford the same courtesy.

“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride, feeling great about learning, and being a part of another culture, then feeling rejected by it.”

Hornberger, 30, cannot force Nagra’s elders to accept him, but he hopes that her parents understand that he doesn’t want to “whitewash” their daughter.

But good intentions aside, Nagra’s parents struggle to accept a marriage that they see as an affront to their culture and religion.

“Hopefully they will realize that I couldn’t be happier,” said Nagra. “I guess time will tell.”