The SASI has been busy after recent funding it received from the Provincial Government for the South Asian Canadian Legacy Project. With six projects underway, there have been some wonderful staffing additions to the SASI team, supported by the Project Management Team. Currently, the SASI and its partners are taking on the following six projects:
- South Asian Canadian Digital Archive: Province wide digitization of South Asian Canadian collections, including artefacts, photos, texts, materials, oral histories and other resources which will be accessible to all through a digital archive;
- Travel Exhibit: Exhibit of South Asian Canadian history to be developed in partnership with the Royal BC Museum;
- Historic Sites: Documentation and marking of 15 sites that are of historic importance to South Asian Canadians, which have been recognized by the BC Government;
- Learning Resources: for South Asian Canadian relevant social studies curriculum for K-12 schools in BC to be developed in partnership with Open School BC;
- B.C. Labour Movements Social Histories Research: Research and development of resources on comprehensive South Asian Canadian Labour History in partnership with the BC Labour Heritage Centre; and
- South Asian Canadian Social History: Production of a public history book presenting South Asian Canadian social histories across British Columbia.
The SASI has expanded its team members in order for these projects to be implemented.
We are pleased to introduce you to our SASI team members working on the six projects:
Madhavee Inamdar is the Project Manager for the South Asian Canadian Legacy Project.
Madhavee offers her expertise in policy, program management and stakeholder engagement. Since 2006, she has been in the field of diversity and inclusion. Madhavee has worked with the Government of British Columbia for more than eight years as multiculturalism and antiracism advisor with various ministries. Madhavee has been a resident of Coquitlam over 15 years. She was on the Board of Directors with the Coquitlam Foundation from 2015-2019 and chaired their Multicultural Committee.
Madhavee came to Canada in 2001 with her family. Originally from India (Mumbai), Madhavee lived in the United Kingdom and Dubai before coming to Canada. She has multidisciplinary educational accomplishments in political science, strategic studies, and social work. She also has a background in journalism. While in Dubai for few years, she enjoyed writing over 800 editorials and several columns for Khaleej Times, the largest selling daily in the Middle East.
Magnus Berg is the Digital Asset Archivist for the South Asian Canadian Legacy Project at the South Asian Studies Institute, University of the Fraser Valley. They previously worked with heritage collections, both physical and digital, at Western University, The University of British Columbia – Okanagan, The GLBT Historical Society Archives & Museum, Ryerson University, Visual Studies Workshop, and The ArQuives (formerly The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives). Magnus has a Master of Arts in Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from York University, and is currently pursuing their Master of Library and Information Science at Western University. They are passionate about collections preservation and access to community histories for marginalized populations and have presented on audiovisual preservation, LGBTQ2+ metadata, diversity and inclusion, and precarious labour in LIS at conferences in Canada and the United States.
Sadhvi Suri is a Digital Asset Technician and Assistant Web Developer for the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive Project. She also worked earlier this year at SASI as research assistant on the Fraser River Funeral home Project. Currently, Sadhvi is also completing her fourth-year in Computer Information Systems pursuing a majors in software development at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Born and brought-up in beautiful Chandigarh, Sadhvi was very excited to join UFV as a transfer student from the Indian campus of UFV – Fraser Valley India, also located in Chandigarh. Sadhvi has been an excellent student who is not just focused on her grades but also developing her leadership and public speaking skills and her passion for photography. She has been the President for the UFV India Toastmasters club and the Vice President for UFV’s Photography club. She has been a recipient of prestigious Student Recognition Award for exceptional Leadership.
The Project Management Team highlighted below provide the overall guidance and support of the work of the
South Asian Canadian Legacy Project
Janet MacDonald joined the Royal BC Museum as a program developer in 1998, after 11 years of wide-ranging experience in exhibition and program work at McGill’s Redpath Museum. She holds an MA in museum studies from University of Leicester, a BA in anthropology and art history from McGill, and has studied applied museum studies, museum exhibition and interpretation at Algonquin College.
As head of Learning, Janet oversees all public and school programming activities as they relate to formal and informal learning programs delivered by full-time staff, seasonal staff, contract workers and volunteers. She works with museum staff, cooperating societies, outside agencies and organizations and other government departments. In developing programs, she seeks to explore and ensure a balance between existing popular programs and innovative initiatives designed to address new educational transformations, community engagement and diverse populations.
Tzu-I Chung is a cultural and social historian, broadly interested in transnational migration within the context of historical, cultural and economic interactions between North America and Asia-Pacific and of cultural and economic globalization. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona, studying political economy, representation in popular culture and comparative cultural and social history.
Since becoming the Curator of History at the Royal BC Museum in 2011, Tzu-I’s research has focused on BC’s diverse cultures and communities and their transnational connections. Her work is enriched by her experience in community outreach and her own cross-cultural and multi-lingual background. Presently she is working with community partners on the Centre of Arrivals project, part of the museum’s long-term commitment to exploring and representing diverse immigrant stories in BC.
Dr. Balbir Gurm is a member of the Faculty of Health at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She is the founding editor-in-chief of Transformative Dialogues: Teaching and Learning Journal. Balbir has been honoured with the Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia and the University of Texas. She has also been the recipient of Academic Excellence Awards from the Times of Canada and from Shakti (non-profit society dedicated to empowering individuals, families and communities). Balbir founded NEVR (the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships). She has raised issues of equity in many spheres including in definitions, in policies, practices and in relationships. Balbir has brought together community partners from policing, volunteer and government services to work on eliminating violence in relationships.
Mo began his journey at the University of the Fraser Valley studying business administration. Over the course of a decade, his long standing passion for technology, and his hunger for new experiences led him to Silicon Valley where he honed his talents in software development and Internet marketing. He returned to Canada with a newfound appreciation for the cultural diversity found in his home, and set out on a personal mission to shatter barriers and encourage cross-cultural understanding. In 2012, Mo was recognized for his contributions by Business for the Arts as the national recipient of the Arnold Edinborough Award, and in 2013 was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. As Director of Strategy at Skyrocket, Mo collaborates with creative minds across the country and continues to create moving experiences for clients and community.
Anita Lal is a social justice advocate that works in the non-profit and charity sector. Through her organization Anarchy Consulting, she creates safe spaces for dialogue, critical self reflection, community programming and outreach. She recently organized and produced the Dalits and #Jatt’s community dialogue and Positive Parenting South Asian Workshops in Surrey, BC, addressing delinquency and at-risk behaviour with South Asian youth. She is the Community Relations Specialist at Windmill Microlending, a national charity that serves skilled immigrants and refugees. Anita also serves on the Advisory Board for the South Asian Studies Institute at The University of the Fraser Valley and Seva Thrift Society.