ALPHA Education

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed the Japanese people by radio for the first time, announcing Japan’s surrender and ending WWII in Asia. For a public that had never heard his voice, it was a moment that changed everything.

We ask: what has changed and what has not?

On this day 35 years ago, Kim Hak-sun told the world how, from age 17, she had been r***d daily by multiple Japanese soldiers during World War II. As a survivor of Japanese military sexual slavery, her testimony gripped the world and paved the way for other survivors to come forward.

An estimated 200,000 young women and girls were forced to become “comfort women” from 1932 to 1945. For decades after the war, many survivors faced shame, stigma, social ostracism, and painful trauma. Kim Hak-sun’s testimony opened the door for more survivors, known as “grandmas,” to finally share their stories and advocate for justice.

On this International Memorial Day for “Comfort Women,” we remember the hundreds of thousands of young girls and women victimized by the crime of sexual slavery. We honour the courage of the grandmas and join their call for recognition and justice.

Happy Youth Day! At ALPHA Education, our work is only possible because of the young people who show up, ask hard questions, and carry these stories forward. We thank and celebrate you!

August 6, 1945 - Hiroshima.
August 9, 1945 - Nagasaki.

Yoshimura Kichisuke was 18 when the bomb dropped. Years later, he drew what he saw on the riverbank: figures moving wordlessly, skin hanging, clothes in shreds. He called them "from another world." We remember by listening to those who were there.

Friendships make peace possible 😁

One day. Two laws.

July 20, 1885. Chinese Canadians helped build this country, and were then banned from voting in it. Remembering is how we start giving back the voices that were taken.

On July 7, 1937, fighting broke out at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing, reportedly sparked by the disappearance of a single Japanese soldier.

What followed were failed negotiations and rapidly escalating tensions, which turned into Japan’s full-scale invasion of China, the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The war would last eight years, claim millions of lives, and impact generations to come.

July 1st is not just Canada Day. For Chinese Canadian communities, it is often known as “Humiliation Day.” A day that marks the anniversary of the Chinese Immigration Act (more commonly known as the “Chinese Exclusion Act”), enacted in 1923.

This law banned nearly all Chinese immigration to Canada, separated families for decades, and systematically blocked economic and social participation. It was repealed only in 1947.

The above 1918 immigration certificate of Wong Lee is one of thousands of documents that bear witness to the anti-Chinese racism that prevailed in Canada, well before the Chinese Exclusion Act. In 1885, the Canadian government introduced a head tax to discourage immigration to Canada. From 1885 to 1952, C.I. certificates were solely issued for Chinese residents, a constant reminder of their second-class status in Canada.

Remembering this history is part of building a more just and honest Canada.

Since 1996, June 21 has been National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day of spiritual and cultural significance for generations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities; marking a time of renewal, connection, and celebration.

Today is World Refugee Day. Every person who seeks refuge deserves to be welcomed, not merely tolerated. Displacement is not inevitable; it is the result of failures we have the power to address.