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EDITORIAL: Lift each other up for Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day falls on Feb. 23 this year
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Wednesday, Feb. 23 is Pink Shirt Day, when many people will be clad in shades of pink to show awareness about bullying and determination to oppose it. (Photo submitted)

On Feb. 23, people across the country will be wearing the colour pink. But it’s more than just a fashion statement.

Pink Shirt Day, or Anti-Bullying Day, takes place on the last Wednesday of February every year. The event traces its origins to an act of kindness in small-town Nova Scotia, when a group of teenagers organized a high school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt.

This first Pink Shirt Day took place in 2007. And although many of our attitudes have changed in the last 15 years, some things have stayed the same.

According to Pink Shirt Day’s website, one in five students in Canada is affected by bullying. And children aren’t the only victims—adults can be affected by bullying, as well.

In today’s online world, bullying is just a click away, taking place over text messages and through social networking. And the anonymity associated with the digital world often allows internet bullies to get away with harassment without consequences.

Cyberbullying can sometimes feel even more overwhelming than traditional bullying, because bullies have access to their target 24/7. Using the “block” button can only go so far.

But the best way to combat bullying is with kindness. Simple acts of compassion can go a long way. The theme for this year’s Pink Shirt Day is, “Lift each other up,” and there are many ways we can do that.

Whether it’s paying it forward in the coffee shop drive thru, offering a compliment to a stranger or speaking up when you witness harassment, consider the ways you can lift other people up—instead of putting them down.

— Alberni Valley News