Connections Café - Asian Civic Leaders in Action
May 11, 2022 18:00 - 19:00
(GMT -5:00) Eastern Time
Join us at this Connections Café and hear from Asian Canadians who broke through barriers and stood for what they believed in.
About this event
May is Asian Heritage Month, and is an opportune time for us to reflect on our role as civic leaders and discuss what we can do individually to build a more equitable Canada.
With that in mind, this Connections Café aims to shine a light on some of our fellow Asian Canadians who took courageous actions during times of chaos. Their actions made a great impact and demonstrated that no action is too small when you stand up for what you believe in. We are all in this together. Join us in this important conversation as we discuss how we can advance diversity and inclusion in society.
Our special guests include:
Zexi Li, Co-Chair of 2022 ACCT Leaders’ Summit
Zexi Li is an Ottawa resident and a federal public servant, who is a lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against the “Freedom Convoy”, which illegally occupied the streets of Ottawa and tormented her community for several weeks from late January to February 2022. In the face of targeted harassment and threats as a result of her action, Zexi persists in her goals to effect positive change within Ottawa and give a voice to the countless residents affected by the siege.
Originally from Toronto and later, Montreal, Zexi fell in love with the Nation’s Capital during her studies at the University of Ottawa, and chose to make the city her permanent home following graduation.
Zexi received Ottawa's Mayor’s City Builder award in 2022 for her role in helping silence trucker horns during the three-week occupation that shook many Centretown residents. The award is given to those who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to making Ottawa a better place today and for the future.
Steven Ngo, Corporate / technology lawyer
Steven Ngo is a corporate / technology lawyer and currently works as counsel at Rivian. He is the Advocacy Chair of the Vietnamese Professionals Association BC and is the Vice President of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC. Steven is leading a movement called Fix Police Reporting that is focused on removing barriers to reporting hate crimes to the police (http://fixpolicereporting.ca). He has featured widely throughout national and international media including The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, CBC and various language-specific outlets for the Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese and South Asian communities.
In 2022, Steven was the recipient of the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, one of the highest honours bestowed to British Columbians, in recognition of his advocacy work during the pandemic.
Because of Steven's relentless efforts, the Vancouver Police Department has now expanded its online hate crimes reporting forms to be available in 14 different languages and has also translated its website into over 100 languages (https://vpd.ca/report-a-crime/). Steven has not stopped there. He is working to help make the reporting of hate crimes more accessible in cities across all of B.C. and Canada.
Albert Wong, Citizenship Judge
Albert was appointed Citizenship Judge by the Government of Canada in June 2014. As an independent decision-maker, Judge Wong conducts hearings and presides over citizenship ceremonies in the Greater Toronto Area.
Judge Wong had over thirty-nine years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. He served in various public affairs positions with the military across Canada; on a UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia; with a multi-national headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark; and with a Strategic Advisory Team in Afghanistan. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He also served as the Chief Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from April 2013 to December 2020. He was awarded the Vice-Regal commendation in 2014.
Judge Wong is a 2012 recipient of the Chinese Canadian Legend Award, the 2015 Transformation Award for Public Service, the 2015 NAAAP 100 Award by the North American Association of Asian Professionals, and the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cambridge Food & Wine Society. He was named the 2016 Person of the Year by the Transformation Magazine.