February 29th is Pink Shirt Day.
“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school. ‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’
So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag. As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled. The bullies were never heard from again.”
CKNW was so inspired by the story that they have dedicated hundreds of hours in editorial space to this subject. This year Simi Sara will be the spokesperson for Pink Shirt Day. Tshirts are sold online through PinkShirtDay.ca and in retail through London Drugs. Net proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Coast BC and the CKNW Orphans’ Fund (who will direct funds to numerous organizations working as part of the solution).
We can only end bullying….all sorts of bullying when we – all of us – take a stand against it.
Bullying is not just picking on the nerdy guy in school. Bullying is not just picking on someone based on their sexuality. Bullying is not just picking on someone weaker or ‘different.’ Bullying is a state of being…..a symptom of our culture, a symptom of our society….it is the dark shadow hiding beneath our thin veneer of civilisation.
Bullying will not go away until enough people step up and say ‘No. Your behaviour is unacceptable.’ Not only do victims of bullying need to know they are heard, but the bullies need to know that we will not tolerate their behaviour. Peers have to speak to peers. Teachers to students, co-workers to co-workers, parent to parent, parent to child.
When I was a child, a new boy arrived in our class. He felt he needed to show his power to his peers. He felt he needed to show how tough he was amongst his new friends. He did this by picking on me. Calling me names. The boys….the classmates I had grown up with, laughed at his jokes. Not one said stop. Not one stood up for me. They were in a world where you just didn’t do that. You didn’t make yourself stand out. You kept quiet.
I want that world gone. I want a world where our children understand that they can’t be silenced by a bully. That you have to speak up instead of condone by silence.
It was only my father who stood up for me. Who silenced the boy. I can only imagine that the rest of the boys felt relief that they were saved from further guilty consciences.
On February 29th, wear your pink shirts. But remember, for the rest of the year you need to stand up and speak out….speaking out is the pink shirt of the mind….that is the one that will save lives.
Here are some other ideas to support the Pink Shirt Campaign
- Purchase your official Pink Shirt Day T-Shirt at London Drugs or online at Shop.PinkShirtDay.ca
- Share our Pink Shirt Day Public Service Announcement (PSA) on your facebook wall or twitter account View it here:
- Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pinkshirtday) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/pinkshirtday)
- Visit our partners who are raising funds for Pink Shirt Day in Vancouver: Take 5 Café are selling pink cupcakes and the Juice Truck are contributing funds from their pink smoothies.
- Challenge your friends and co-workers to commit to a bully-free lifestyle and wear pink on Feb 29, 2012.
- Upload a picture of you, your school, your work, your friends on Twitter wearing pink on Feb 29th and tag it with #PSD2012 and mention @pinkshirtday – or email to photos@pinkshirtday.ca
- Share and retweet messages from @pinkshirtday on Twitter and let us know what you’re doing to support Pink Shirt Day on Feb 29, 2012. Example tweet: On Feb 29 I’ll be wearing Pink. Bullying Stops Here! Support @pinkshirtday. #PSD2012
Net proceeds from Pink Shirt Day activities & t-shirt sales benefit the CKNW Orphans’ Fund in support of Boys & Girls Clubs Anti-Bullying programs.
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