Vol. 71/No. 7      February 19, 2007

Published by Pathfinder Press a year ago, the book has enjoyed widespread publicity throughout North America, as well as in Cuba and other countries. Choy is scheduled to visit Canada March 9-18, and speak at a public meeting here March 11 at the Vancouver Public Library, and the following day at the University of British Columbia Asian Center.

People attending the January 20 event included leaders of the fight seeking redress by Ottawa to all Chinese immigrants in this country forced by the Canadian government in the past to pay a “head tax.” They also included trade unionists and people active in community groups and Cuba solidarity work. Two people came from Seattle.

Sid Tan, cochair of the Head Tax Families Society, told the meeting that the federal government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper was compelled to issue an apology for the racist head tax and to agree to compensate the 400 surviving head-tax payers or their living spouses. At the same time, he said, “Only 0.6 percent of all 82,000 head-tax families have been compensated. The Harper government has not dealt with the injustice of this racist tax.”

“We are building a movement that will outlast the Harper government,” Tan vowed. “We’ve outlasted five prime ministers so far and this struggle will not be over until we say it’s over.”

“I’m honored to be involved in this tour because the example of Cuba shows that injustices can be rectified,” said Tamara Hansen, coordinator of the Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba.

Thomas Davies, a representative of the Free the Cuban Five Committee, urged those present to become part of the fight to free five Cuban revolutionaries framed-up by Washington and imprisoned on draconian sentences in the United States. The committee held a January 30 picket at the U.S. consulate demanding the release of the five men, and invited Mary Ellen Marus, an organizer of Choy’s tour, to speak about it.

A fund appeal by Tim Louis, a former Vancouver City Council member and supporter of the Cuban Revolution, netted more than $200 for meeting costs.

George Gidora, the leader of the Communist Party in British Columbia, was also introduced.

Quoting Moises Sío Wong, one of the authors of the book, Michel Dugré said, “The most important measure to eliminate racist discrimination in Cuba was the revolution itself.” Dugré described his participation in October on behalf of Pathfinder Books, the distributor of Our History Is Still Being Written in Canada, in a series of seven presentations in Cuba about the book. All three authors participated in one or more of these events, along with Mary-Alice Waters, the book’s editor.

In these meetings, the three Chinese-Cuban generals told the relatively little-known history of the inspiring example set by thousands of Chinese Cubans who participated in Cuba’s wars of independence and in the revolutionary war that toppled the Batista dictatorship in 1959, Dugré said.“The tour will bring this example to those in Canada who are fighting for head tax redress, for immigrant rights, and social justice.” Meeting participant Jaehun Choi, an international student from Korea, told the Militant afterwards, “I didn’t realize that Chinese participated in the Cuban Revolution that put an end to racism.” He said Our History Is Still Being Written helps show that a revolution is needed to overcome anti-Chinese and other discrimination.

Racism is an important question in south Korea, Choi said. That country’s rulers are whipping up chauvinism against the growing numbers of immigration workers who have come to Korea from other Asian countries. Our History Is Still Being Written will help show the way forward in combating such prejudice, he said.

A number of participants in the January 20 event also attended a January 30 organizing meeting to discuss building Choy’s tour. The next organizing meeting is set for February 12.

For more information on Armando Choy’s tour, contact Pathfinder Books in Toronto, Tel: (416) 417-3475, e-mail: pathfinderbooks@bellnet.ca .; or Steve Penner in Vancouver, Tel: (604) 324-2671, e-mail: stevepenner@telus.net.
 
 
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‘Free the Cuban 5,’ demand protesters in British Columbia
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