Even though the last Wednesday in February is Canada’s officially-recognized national Pink Shirt and Anti-Bullying Day, each day is important to take action. And it’s not just students that need to be involved.
Chinook Sexual Assault Centre CEO Kristine Cassie says it’s important Pink Shirt Day is continuing all these years. “Especially this year. With the theme of promoting kindness and inclusivity, I think there’s no better time than now for us to be highlighting that.”
Cassie says there seems to be a backlash seen towards people who identify in the 2SLGBTQI+ community, particularly those identifying as trans. “As well as what is going on south of the border when it comes to people being considered DEI hires because of their skin colour. I think it’s important we take a lead as an agency. As a community, we need to talk about how inclusive we need to be and that we are and we lead with kindness.”
Part of that work, Cassie notes, is raising awareness and providing information to community members. “We also take a look at what we’re doing to make sure we’re promoting things like inclusivity in our workplaces and how we’re receiving people seeking those services.”
According to Cassie, it’s critically important for leaders of organizations and business owners to look at who is being served and what the role is when it comes to kindness and being inclusive in society.
“We lead by example. It’s the modelling we do. It’s what we need to have when looking around us. There’s a lot of fears with what is happening in our world right now, so no time is better than right now for us to be looking at what that kindness means to welcome people in. I think it’s a good business model to begin with, that we look at being inclusive and bringing people in, let alone what we can do in our community to share some of that kindness and those welcoming aspects with others we might meet in our building or when we’re going into other shops and things like this,” says Cassie.
“I think we all have a role in this. It’s not just on the students to keep this alive and going and for us to do it one day a year, but it’s how we’re going to lead year-round,” adds Cassie.
