In Memoriam: Roxana Ng

At the age of 19, Roxana Ng emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada with her parents and two brothers. And, as a professor at OISE, her work shaped the field of immigration studies.

Ng, who died in January, was the director of the Centre for Women’s Studies in Education and a professor of adult education and community development. Her research focused on the experiences of immigrant women, including the experience of exclusion in the labour market; the lives of garment workers in Canada; and race, gender and class.

Her focus on human rights and social justice extended beyond her professional life: Ng (PhD 1984) co-founded the Vancouver Women’s Research Centre in the early 1970s, and helped establish immigrant women’s organizations in several other provinces. She was also on the board of Inter Pares, which promoted social justice in Canada and overseas.

Even as Ng’s body weakened from cancer, she continued to help those around her. She shared her research findings about foreign-trained professionals with her caregivers (many of whom were immigrant nurses) – encouraging them to study for their certifications while she napped.