VIU Professor Receives Province’s Medal of Good Citizenship

Congratulations to Dr. Imogene Lim, VIU Anthropology Professor, on receiving a BC Medal of Good Citizenship. 

“This important honour recognizes people who have gone above and beyond to offer help and kindness to others during these exceptionally challenging times,” said Premier John Horgan. “The latest recipients of the Medal of Good Citizenship make our province a better place through their contributions and provide an example we can all aspire to meet in our communities.”

Read the BC Government news release for more details. 
 Check out this Nanaimo News Bulletin article to read an interview with Dr. Lim. 

Imogene Lim bio in BC Government news release: 

Imogene Lim is a Vancouver Island University professor who has achieved numerous accomplishments as an educator and community activist. For the past two decades, she has established herself as a strong voice for heritage, especially for communities who lack representation in the current population. On her path to activism she has maintained a focus on issues of diversity and equity.As a descendant of a Chinese head-tax payer, Imogene advocates for social justice through the lens of Chinese Canadian history. She advocated for lands now known as Coal Creek Historic Park in Cumberland that encompassed the former Chinatown and #1 Japanese Town. She was recognized as a “Present-Day Pioneer” in a Themed Issue of The Scrivener Magazine, 2002 and in that same year was presented with a Ruth Masters Hero Spoon, awarded to those who help their community, for her advocacy and community activism.In Nanaimo, Imogene collaborated with a team of community members to create one of the city’s first heritage plaques, Nanaimo’s Chinatowns that represented the voices of the earliest Chinese Canadians. Through her community engagement in places on Vancouver Island and beyond, she has been sought as a board and committee member, locally, regionally and provincially. Often, she is the lone voice outside of larger metropolitan areas and reminds her colleagues that when speaking about the province, it is more than Vancouver or Victoria.Imogene, in 2017, co-developed a travelling exhibit, 150 Years and Counting: Fighting for Justice on the Coast. In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, she is collaborating on a project with Nanaimo Museum, Nanaimo Community Archives, and Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives on Central Vancouver Island: Racism in Our Communities (working title). Her community engaged activism continues to bring silenced histories and stories of marginalized peoples to light.