Mycelium: Racialized migrants' resistance to systemic discrimination and the promotion of cultural connection and knowledge through informal networks


Jennifer Ma, McMaster University; Maimuna Khan, McMaster University

About 40 years ago my family fled their homes following the war in Vietnam. They were eventually sponsored to be resettled on Turtle Island. While we have experienced hardships and racism in Toronto, we actively created a community with others who also fled Vietnam, supporting one another while addressing collective trauma. These connections sustained us, much like mycelium, a dynamic root system of mushrooms that is grounded in trust to build and sustain a vast, reciprocal, underground network. This network connects the roots of trees and plants, so they can share nutrients and resources to support the health of the entire ecosystem. They clear toxins, expand roots for growth, foster interconnectedness and interdependence, as well as intergenerational relationships by connecting older trees to younger trees. In this project, mycelium is a metaphor for community, the social networks of invisible connections that hold people together. This includes sharing resources, promoting traditional knowledge and healing practices, resisting systemic discrimination collectively, strengthening communication through meaningful discussions, and developing reciprocal relationships. This study focuses on how racialized migrants build communities and cultivate collective well-being, using art as an anti-racist and decolonial practice. Particularly, this study focuses on the ways in which communities resist systems of oppression while promoting cultural identity and knowledge, which is fundamental in supporting the well-being of racialized migrants. What I have learned through my lived experiences is that the lack of a collective critical consciousness about the war has resulted in a reproduction of victim blaming, minimization, discomfort, and/or silence – responses which create further harm and isolation for communities. The reality is a divided community cannot effectively respond to social injustices in the face of a diminishing social infrastructure where racialized people are encouraged to seek informal supports within their racial/ethnic communities. This study repositions racialized migrants as productive disrupters of mainstream narratives, using participatory action research as a tool that can effectively intervene into hegemonic understandings and scholarly traditions. The first year of a two-year project, Mycelium seeks to understand the processes of resistance and the promotion of cultural identity and knowledge by employing participatory visual approaches, which have been found to create spaces for social inclusion, expression and confidence building, transformation to agency and citizenship, countering stereotypes while speaking out about discrimination and dismantling structural barriers, and dialogue between racialized migrants and mainstream society (Clini, Thomson, and Chatterjee, 2019; Lenette, 2019; McGregor and Ragab, 2016; Moreira and Jackobi, 2021). Specifically, through a participatory action research in the form of Photovoice in partnership with Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW). Three themes emerged from the images and stories created by 16 women participating in the Community Leadership Program at NEW: 1) the importance of informal networks and collective action for belonging and resisting systemic discrimination, 2) food, stories, and art as conduits for physical and emotional connection within and between communities, and 3) the need for systemic changes to address language barriers, unemployment, limited access to services, and physical and mental well-being. The findings suggested that organizations that work with migrants should increase opportunities for cultivating social connections with each other in order to engage in collective healing and action. The women underscored the importance of these relationships as newcomers. Additionally, community building and well-being occur through engagement with food, stories, and art as the women expressed creating deep connections within their communities and other communities through sharing their culture. Lastly, there is a need for systemic changes to address barriers that prevented them from leading healthy lives, including the recognition of credentials, translation services, tailored employment services for women, and increasing access to services and mental health support.

Non-presenting authors: Sara Asalya, Newcomer Women's Services Toronto; Nevin Alqishawi, Newcomer Women's Services Toronto; Oluwasikemi Ogunleye, McMaster University; Minju Kim, McMaster University; Haleemah Shah, University of Toronto; Xin Huang, McMaster University; Ayat Salih, McMaster University

This paper will be presented at the following session: