Ask Me Anything: Asian Heritage Month - Recognition, Resilience, and Resolve

May 25, 2021 – Defence Stories

• Featuring: Clark Jang, Suzanne Kye and Lisa Wong
• Co-hosted by: Gemma Irwin and Samantha Moonsammy
• Date and time: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 from 1pm - 2:30pm EST
• Audience: Open to all Government of Canada employees
• To register: Registration form (accessible only off the DWAN)
• Link: Zoom Link (Passcode: 720895)

* Zoom is not compatible with DWAN, so please view the video on your mobile device, or copy the URL and paste it into a browser on a personal device.

Event description

All Government of Canada employees are welcome to join speakers Clark Jang, Suzanne Kye and Lisa Wong to the Ask Me Anything stage. This month we will be celebrating Asian Heritage Month and exploring the impact of the rise of Asian hate #StopAsianHate and the myth of the model minority in North America.

Registration

Attendees are encouraged to submit anonymous questions to the guest speakers via the registration form. Live questions will also be taken during the event.

If you are interested in being a speaker at an upcoming Ask Me Anything or if you need accommodation to participate please contact Katie.freer@canada.ca, Samantha.moonsammy@forces.gc.ca or CCG Internal Communications Team.

About The Ask Me Anything series

The Ask Me Anything series gives Government of Canada employees a platform to share stories, listen, ask respectful questions and continue on our journey to becoming more inclusive organizations.

Panelists

Clark Jang, Senior Analyst, Human Resources, Department of National Defence.

Clark is a jack-of-all-trades public servant who's passionate about doing cool work with good people.

Over the past five years he’s worked across the spectrum of human resources—policy, operational and strategic—with some of Canada's most dedicated public servants and military personnel. He was a Strategic Advisor to the Head of HR. He led HR’s preparation for a national class action lawsuit on sexual misconduct. And he solved complex labour relations issues with military managers, union representatives and employees.

Clark’s cultural identity is heavily influenced by his experiences as a biracial man growing up in an increasingly globalized world. He was born and raised in Vancouver and has been fortunate enough to have visited and made friends in 27 countries around the world. Clark has lived in Halifax, Sweden, and now presently resides in Ottawa.

Suzanne Kye, Manager of the Compassionate Exemption Program, Public Health Agency of Canada

Suzanne was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario, a community with a large immigrant population where many of her peers were second generation Canadians.

Suzanne obtained an undergraduate degree in Political Science with a focus in International Relations and a Masters degree in communications at Carleton University. She joined the Public Service in 2009, and has since worked at a number of departments.

The pandemic and the rise of anti-Asian hate has been an awakening for Suzanne. As a Canadian of Korean descent living in Ottawa and working in the Public Service, Suzanne oftentimes experienced what she can now identify as tokenism and micro-aggressions. Knowing how to vocalize experiences of inequity and marginalization has long been a struggle. Recent events and subsequent activism by racialized communities has helped to validate experiences she has long internalized and moved her to find the courage and voice to take tangible action for sustained change in her workplace and in her community.

Lisa Wong, Project Manager, Department of National Defence

Lisa joined DND in early 2020, has over 11 years of experience in managing highly political and complex major procurement projects. Lisa holds a Bachelor in Arts, a graduate certificate in Project Management, and a Project Management Professional designation.

Lisa is a Chinese-Italian born Canadian who was raised in both Montreal and then Ottawa. Lisa is no stranger to culture differences as well as impacts of being an immigrant. Over the past 17 years working for the Government of Canada, Lisa has tackled intersectional biases and discrimination as well as systemic racism that exist in the public service. Lisa is an advocate for inclusivity and leverages a strength of individualization that seeks to see each person as one of a kind. She focuses on uniqueness because she believes people should not be dropped into broad categories. She has used this over the years to advocate for herself, for others and to facilitate negotiations.