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Pink Shirt Day

Wednesday was Pink Shirt Day across Canada so Vivian, Margaret, and I did not miss the opportunity to join in and start up a conversation about bullying. From the Coffee Zoom to the Lunch Study group, everyone I talked to that day could easily recall a story about bullying, either as a witness or a recipient.
Pink Shirt Day has a great origin story from Berwick, Nova Scotia in 2007. Two grade twelve students witnessed a grade nine student being bullied because he was wearing a pink shirt. The two grade twelve students promptly went out and purchased 50 pink shirts and gave them to all their friends. That must have been quite a sight, especially for the bully, when 50 or more students all showed up wearing pink shirts in support of the student who was bullied.

So, on Pink Shirt Day each year we all get to show up for anyone and everyone who is being bullied. Some statistics say that 1 in 3 teens in Canada experience bullying. It’s not just a problem at school, it’s also online and in our workplaces. Everyone has a story. Having an opportunity to talk about this, gives us the courage to stand up for ourselves and for the vulnerable in these situations. Providing children with an opportunity to talk about this will help them to learn more about kindness and empathy, and to celebrate our diversity as a very good thing. We can definitely use more of that in this world!

Peace and joy,

Nancy