The website was made by a multi-cultural & multi-disciplinary team in response to the rise of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The website employs storytelling and examples to illustrate the nature of racism, its manifestations, and methods to confront it. Our research unveiled that many new immigrants grappled with identifying instances of racism, often acknowledging it solely in cases of violence. This insight directed our team's attention towards Microaggressions, a subtler and systemic facet of racism that frequently precedes overt acts of violence.
The first section explaining everyday racism - microaggressions
Section providing real stories (often from our team members) of racism people have faced in their lives
In addition to educating about microaggressions, we developed a conversation toolkit to guide families in practicing how to address and engage in discussions on this subject. The toolkit offers instances of what individuals might say, delves into why these statements are racist, and suggests potential responses or ways to initiate a conversation. The toolkit encompasses four distinct categories corresponding to settings where various microaggressions may arise: In Public, At Work, At School, and In Your Personal Life. Furthermore, a section is included for open discussions on broader topics related to racism.
"Microaggressions often convey to targets the message that they are foreigners, criminals, dangerous, a threat or subhuman… [and] are constant and continual in the life experience of people of color… They increase stress in the lives of people of color, lower emotional well-being, increase depression and negative feelings, assail the mental health of recipients, impede learning and problem-solving, impair employee performance and take a heavy toll on the physical well-being of targets…" — Dr. Derald Wing Sue, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University
Since the onset of COVID-19, Canada has witnessed a significant surge in anti-Asian hate crimes. In Vancouver alone, reported incidents surged by a staggering 878%. In response to these alarming spikes and several high-profile cases, the Government of Canada allocated funding to initiatives and organizations within the Asian-Canadian Community.
Options Community Services was among the organizations granted funding, and I was hired to lead the design of their project. The project's scope was intentionally broad, focusing on addressing the surge in anti-Asian hate, so we started out with research to help uncover what our project would focus on.
Mapping of notes from our research where we categorized peoples thoughts, views, and experiences with racism
Our team conducted more than 20 interviews within the Asian-Canadian community, revealing a common theme: many individuals struggled to define and recognize racism, particularly instances that were non-violent: microaggressions. These subtler forms of discrimination, often mistaken for cultural differences, left individuals feeling marginalized, disconnected from broader Canadian society, and hesitant to engage outside their ethnic communities.
Given the recurring theme of microaggressions in our interviews, our team collectively decided to center our efforts on addressing this complex issue.
Over a 6 month period, I led the small team through a co-design process where we did research, analyzed, prototyped, and created FacesofRacism.ca. The team had no previous design experience, so I worked as a facilitator to help us make sense of our research and where we should go next.
Photo of the team! The project was done throughout the COVID19 Pandemic - so we actually never met in person, but still managed to collaborate, build connections, and create beauty!
A large emphasis of this project was on the process of the work - creating a collaborative experience where each member felt valued and proud of their work. Throughout our time together, each member got to contribute to the design process, where I led them through
creating affinity maps of our research and insights
categorizing & prioritizing stakeholder needs and experiences
participating in quick idea generation sessions
simple journey mapping
prototyping and iterating on ideas
engaged in reflection exercises