Something new has been unveiled at a busy Mississauga library
Published November 12, 2019 at 2:36 pm
It’s safe to say that Mississauga is one of the most diverse cities in Canada, and it honours its remarkable makeup of people in various ways.
Most recently, Mayor Bonnie Crombie and members of council gathered for the official unveiling of the Vietnamese Boat People Monument at the Burnhamthorpe Library (3650 Dixie Road).
The unveiling took place on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Welcome! #Mississauga’s newest piece of #PublicArt officially has a home @mississaugalib’s Burnhamthorpe Library. The monument commemorates the lives lost at sea by Vietnamese refugees on their journey to freedom in Canada. @SaugaCulture #VBPSaugaMonument pic.twitter.com/APmc7CVItX
— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) November 9, 2019
The city says the brand new monument honours the Vietnamese refugees who came to Canada in the late 1970s and early 1980s to escape the communist regime of Vietnam. It also commemorates the approximately half a million lives that were lost to the sea on this journey to freedom.
The newest addition to #Mississauga’s #PublicArt collection commemorates the brave Vietnamese Boat People on their journey to freedom. The monument has been generously donated by the Vietnamese Boat People Memorial Association. @SaugaCulture #VBPSaugaMonument pic.twitter.com/e11aK60btD
— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) November 9, 2019
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“The monument is an offering of gratitude to Canada by the Vietnamese-Canadian community for the humanity and compassion that the Vietnamese boat people and refugees received,” the city said in a news release.
“It also recognizes Canada’s history of multiculturalism and reminds Canadians about the tragic history of the Vietnamese boat people.”
Built for and generously donated to the city by the Vietnamese Boat People Memorial Association (VBPMA), the monument will become part of the city’s public art collection.
Cover photo courtesy of the Burnhamthorpe Library’s official Facebook page
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