Pink Shirt Day today in Whitby and across Durham Region

Today is Pink Shirt Day across the country as municipalities, schools and organizations wear pink to raise awareness for a world-wide anti-bullying movement.

Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 when a student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. That following day, two of his classmates organized a protest against bullying by distributing pink shirts to their friends to show support. What started as an act of kindness towards one person has grown into a global movement.

In Oshawa, residents are asked to celebrate our diversity and work together to lift each other up, practice kindness, and speak out against bullying in the community.

In Clarington, lockers at local schools were decorated with pink messages of support and other municipalities around Durham Region are engaging in similar acts of positivity.

In Whitby, the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness is looking for help to ‘paint the town pink’ for Pink Shirt Day.

“Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and online. Over the month of February, and throughout the year, Pink Shirt Day aims to raise awareness to these issues. Now more than ever it is so important that we lift each other up and support Anti-bullying and Anti-cyberbullying initiatives.”