Anti-racism advocates call for Black Shirt Day to promote civil rights
A group of Vancouver anti-racism activists is taking inspiration from the effect that Pink Shirt Day has had in schools to open up discussion about bullying and is proposing the creation of Black Shirt Day to promote the discussion of Black history.
They're proposing Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, as the appropriate date.
Kamika Williams of Anti-Racism Coalition Vancouver is one of the organizers. “It's to promote education on anti-racism and civil rights,” she said Wednesday over the phone. “We thought that (King's birthday) would be a good day. The goal is eventually to make (Black Shirt Day) recognized around the world.”
Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 after two Nova Scotia teens learned another boy in their school had been bullied and called homophobic names for wearing a pink shirt to school.
To show their support for their younger schoolmate — the boy was in Grade 9, the two activists in Grade 12 — and to speak out against bullying, they organized a day where everyone would wear pink. More than a decade later, the movement has spread across Canada and around the world.
In recent years, Orange Shirt Day has also emerged as a movement in schools across Canada. It promotes solidarity with the Indigenous victims of Canada's residential school system.
Williams and her colleagues recently launched a petition calling on the B.C. government to declare Jan. 15, 2021 as Black Shirt Day. They partnered with a group called Pink Thursday, which works to promote Pink Shirt Day's anti-bullying message beyond just one day a year.
Creating a Black Shirt Day is personal for Williams. Growing up Black in Victoria wasn't always easy, she said.
“I'm from Victoria, it's a very small town,” she said. “I personally have experienced racism.”
And the deaths of Black Americans over the past year like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police have motivated her to speak out more.
Their hope for Black Shirt Day is simple: to get more conversations started about racism and civil rights, all leading into February, which is well-established as Black History Month.
“We thought it would be a good way for kids, people of all ages, to talk about these issues. Our overall goal is to promote Black history in schools,” she said.
They have had discussions about the topic with the Vancouver school board, she said.
“It's about promoting awareness initially,” she said. “It's about encouraging discussion.”