Henry Yu

Henry Yu

henry yu is smiling into the camera. he has dark hair and glasses.


Professor, Department of History; Principal, St. John’s College
Email: henry.yu@ubc.ca

Henry Yu is a scholar of migration, race and colonialism involved in the collaborative effort to reimagine the history of Vancouver and of British Columbia through the concept of “Pacific Canada,” a perspective that focuses on how migrants from Asia, Europe, and other parts of the Americas engaged with each other and with First Nations peoples historically.

As a history professor, Dr. Yu’s research and teaching has been built around collaborations with local community organizations, civic institutions such as museums, and multiple levels of government. He is passionate about helping British Columbians and Canadians undo the cultural and historical legacies of colonialism and to be inspired by the often hidden and untold stories of those who struggled against racism and made Canadian society more inclusive and just.

During Dr. Yu’s period as Principal of St. John’s College, SJC has come to be known for initiatives such as Staff Hot Lunch that help build a meaningful sense of belonging and community on campus. Dr. Yu’s commitment to fostering collaboration at UBC has also allowed SJC to serve as a crucial incubator for important academic initiatives such as the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program in the Faculty of Arts and the UBC Centre for Asian Canadian Research and Engagement.

Research Area:

  • Global Vancouver
  • Trans-Pacific migration
  • Asian Canadian and Asian American history
  • Race and immigration
  • Social Science and Social Theory in US and Europe
  • Public History and History Education
  • Hong Kong and Canada Crosscurrents

Faculty profile

Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC

Vancouver Chinatown Foundation i

PCHC-MoM

Chinese Canadian Museum of BC

National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism, Final Report

“Anti-Asian Racism”

“Racism and Canadian High Schools”

Red Power’s Legacies: Land and Liberation from the 1970s to the Present

A conversation between Gerry Ambers and Glen Coulthard

DATE: Thursday, November 19, 2026

TIME: 5:00pm – 6:20pm, with reception to follow

LOCATION: Coach House, Green College

a photo of a spray painted "red power" symbol with a raised fist

Join us for the second of the Living Conversations public dialogue series presented by Public Humanities Hub in partnership with Green College.

Living Conversations is a public dialogue series that brings together scholarly research, justice-oriented practice, and lived community expertise. Featuring UBC scholars and guest speakers in conversation, the series explores insurgent social and cultural questions across diverse ways of knowing.

Register here

Speakers

Gerry Ambers is wearing a white button down, dangly earrings, and a white hat. She has long black hair. There is a large tree behind her.

Gerry Ambers is Namgis from Alert Bay, B.C. and is a mother of five and a grandmother of six.  She is currently an Elder-in-Residence at the University of Victoria. Gerry’s primary training was from Doug Cranmer in Northwest Coast Design. She then went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria. Her active resistance to colonization began in her final year of residential school and continued when she moved to Vancouver. Gerry helped to form the Native Alliance for Red Power in 1967. She has woven resistance and liberation through her life of many other pursuits. She continues to form alliances with resistance groups and views liberation as a lifelong pursuit. 

Glen Coulthard is an associate professor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and in the Department of Political Science. Glen has written and published numerous articles and chapters in the areas of contemporary political theory, indigenous thought and politics, and radical social and political thought (marxism, anarchism, post-colonialism). His most recent work on Frantz Fanon and the Politics of Recognition won Contemporary Political Theory’s Annual Award for Best Article of the Year in 2007. He is Yellowknives Dene. 

Access information

Op-Ed Workshop

with Shari Graydon

DATE: Wednesday, November 18, 2026

TIME: 12:00pm – 2:00pm

LOCATION: Peña Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z1

Headshot of Shari Graydon in black and white. She has short hair, earrings, and is smiling into the camera.

Write Compelling Commentary

Do you have research or lived experience that the public would benefit from knowing more about? Are you advocating for a cause but struggling to get your message out? Too often, valuable expertise stays buried in academic journals or internal reports. This workshop provides tools to help you translate your insights into powerful op-eds that engage, inform and drive action. Learn what makes a successful op-ed and how to write one that’s more likely to get published.

Learn how to:

  • Boost your publication chances by understanding what editors seek
  • Structure your ideas into the expected format using a proven framework
  • Increase your ability to write clearly and persuasively for a broad audiences
  • Link your piece to current news to increase its relevance

Presented in partnership with UBC Centre for European Studies with support from the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, co-funded by the European Union.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Register here

Facilitator

Shari Graydon is an award-winning author, speaker and advocate who has trained and motivated thousands of women to share their insights from the podium and through print, online and broadcast commentary since creating Informed Perspectives. Previously she wrote a weekly newspaper column, produced a TV series and performed regular commentary for CBC. She also taught communications at two BC universities and served as press secretary to a provincial premier. Her advocacy work has been recognized with the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons’ Case, and by Women of Influence and WXN.

Selected Testimonials

Published op ed, radio interview, front page profile in a second paper, TV interview with CBC… I feel like I’ve made more of a conservation difference with one 600-word op ed than I have with all my scientific publications put together.

Sarah Foster, Research Associate, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia

It was an inspirational session, filled with brilliant insights and superb strategies. Fascinating Focused. Funny. This offers just about everything women could possibly need to know about how to get our important ideas out into the public realm.

Constance Backhouse, Professor of Law, University of Ottawa

My first commentary in the Toronto Star received more than 10,000 hits and over 500 Facebook recommendations, making it the paper’s most read op ed all month. It’s great to discover there’s an audience for something I feel so strongly about.

Kelly Grindrod, Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo

Access information

Safety

  • Masks are encouraged and will be provided at the door.
  • If you have cold or flu symptoms, please stay home and rest well.

Building access