... To the editor:
A few years back, the City of New Westminster presented an apology for past ra-cially based injustices. An apology was delivered in Mandarin-an alien Chinese dialect-not spoken by pioneer families who could have appreciated the gesture. As a result, I was skeptical of individuals, especially politicians, who are skilled at shopping for ethnic votes. Some of my thoughts were referenced in Mark Hasiuk's recent column.
In my dissertation, I challenged Bill Chu and his work with First Nations and pioneer Chinese-Canadian communities. As a result, Bill contacted me, and enlightened me with much of the knowledge and effort he had undertaken. Bill's work is not so much about opening past wounds, nor a "victim mentality" approach, but learning about nation building by other founding communities. This approach presents a more complete knowledge of our past and of our communities-important ingredients in working toward removing hyphenated labels. I prefer this approach than to the political correct mantra of "tolerance and acceptance" shovelled at us.
David Wong, Vancouver
