This article was published on February 19th, 2020
Activism comes in all forms, and it’s up to everyday people like you, your friends, and all of us to take a stand against those that are openly being oppressed and harassed. Open up that closet, pull out your best rose, light-red, salmon, corral, blush and PINK colored shirts and wear them with pride for annual Pink Shirt Day. Pink Shirt Day is Wednesday, February 26, 2020, and it’s a great day to state publicly your opposition to bullying.
What started out in 2007 from humble beginnings in Canada is now a global phenomenon and a day to call to attention the amount of bullying that goes on today in schools and in society. Pink Shirt day began in 2007 in Nova Scotia, as a grass roots campaign by Canadians David Shepherd and Travis Price in protest of a student by the name of Charles McNeil, who had been bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. David and Travis, students in the same school as Charles, decided to no longer be bystanders, and the pair went to the local discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. That night they sent messages out to their classmates to join them in supporting Charles, who had been bullied for simply wearing a pink shirt.
The following day, Pink Shirt Day was born when, in a show of solidarity with McNeil, Price, Shepard and their friends stood in the foyer of the school all wearing pink tank tops. The bullied student was floored by the courageous actions of his classmates to stand with him. What seemed like a small action gained media coverage and quickly grew into a national movement in Canada to recognize bullying in schools and to take actions against it.
50% of Canadian kids have reported being bullied with 45% of them afraid to even go to school. 34% of Canadians surveyed, adults included, knew of students in their districts and communities that had been the victim of cyber bullying in the last year. Unfortunately, gay, queer, and overall LGBT are often targeted more so than their heterosexual counterparts. Yet, non-binary kids are less likely to report being victims of bullying.
Pink Shirt Day has become a cultural phenomenon and people everywhere recognize it as an important movement to recognize the fight for equality and the combatting of bullying everywhere. Overcoming bullying and drawing attention to it are the first steps in challenging this ill-treatment. A great way to show support for those that have dealt with bullying and survived this harassment is to wear a pink shirt on Wednesday, February 26, 2020.