Vol. 73/No. 21      June 1, 2009

Some 400 students, dressed in black, walked out of school April 27 in protest against the suspension of Kang, a Korean-born youth who had defended himself against an assault by another student. Mathew Winch, who organized the walkout, said the students wanted to stand up against bullying and racism. Keswick has fewer than 10 Asian students.

A fight had broken out during a gym class game of speedball. A student called Jack Kang a “f… Chinese,” which led to pushing and shoving. Punched in the mouth, Kang, a black belt in tae kwon do, struck back at the other student and broke his nose.

Jack said he heard the voice of his father, a martial arts instructor, running through his head: Fight only as a last resort, only in self-defense, only if given no choice, and only with the left hand.

Both youths were suspended from school, but the school board demanded Kang be expelled from all schools in the region. Only the Korean youth was charged with assault, charges that the police refused to drop despite a request by the parents of the other boy.

After the student walkout and broader public outcry, the York Regional School Board retreated, lifting the suspension and dropping the expulsion threat. The assault charges were dropped May 13. Amid growing support for Kang, the prosecuting attorney concluded that it would not be in the “public interest” to prosecute the case.

Keswick is an urban community with a predominantly white population within the town of Georgina, one hour north of Toronto. It was the scene of a 2007 series of attacks, known locally as “nipper-tipping,” on Asian shore fishermen that led to protests by Asian community organizations and an investigation by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

The Kang family came to Canada in 2004 and settled in Keswick two years later.

Following the incident Chul Kang, the youth’s father, said he initially considered moving the family but decided against it. “I don’t want to run away. If another Asian kid comes to this school, what happens to him? Will he run into problems? Will they think they can just kick him out? I don’t want to set that example,” he said.

The outpouring of support strengthened the family’s resolve to stay. “I’m not going to move,” Chul Kang said the day of the court decision. “I have to stay now, after seeing so many neighbors on our side.”
 
 
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