Toronto is often recognized as a metropolis characterized by its ethnic diversity – As Canada's largest city, one of the few countries in the world that identifies itself as a state multicultural in its constitution. However, while Canada exists with this as the basis of its formal and constitutional framework, it lacks a strong sense of internal cohesion, authenticity or agency. The novel "What We All Want" by Dionne Brand addresses the most unexplored aspects of the urban life of first-generation immigrant communities in the city of Toronto. It follows the life of Tuyen, a twenty-year-old rebellious spirit who has come to be baffled by the concept of desire in the city of Toronto. Tuyen expresses herself through the eyes of an artist – through her expression of an ancient Chinese symbol, the lubiao. In this essay I will analyze the concept of racialization and resistance in relation to Tuyen's lubiao. Next I will define the historical context of the city of Toronto. Looking at this, I will examine how race is socially produced and the persistence of colonial oppression throughout history. So, I will look at this resonates with the concept of racialization and belonging. Finally, I will analyze the Tuyen lubaio as a space in which the city of Toronto becomes witness to a site of resistance. In conclusion, I suggest that Tuyen's lubaio does indeed represent racialization and resistance, but whether or not it can be effectively interpreted in the way intended through the colonial gaze is ultimately debatable. Toronto is a city that is simultaneously rich in its ethnic diversity, yet, paradoxically, finds itself constrained by its colonial legacy. This is important, as colonial representations of race pervade history through… middle of paper… confirm the boundaries of the social world through the classification of things into good and bad categories. They enter the unconscious through the process of socialization.' Thus, “the articulation of space and its conception remind us that the boundaries of time are inextricably connected to practices of exclusion that are defined in the refusal to adhere to the separation of the black experience”. In this essay I have illustrated how Tuyen's lubaio can be effectively understood as something that calls for race and agency in the city of Toronto. Because it presents these concepts to everyone in the city, it can see them in accessible ways, allowing the great diversity within the urban landscape to be recognized. Everyone has different perspectives and different desires. By using the lubaio as a place of resistance everyone becomes a witness to the city's desires and desires.