Pink Shirt Day held to support a world without bullying

Today is Pink Shirt Day, the annual event across Canada that invites people to beat bullying with kindness. The original event was organized in 2007 by two grade 12 students, David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia who bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after a ninth-grade student was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt the first day of school. Today Alberta Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, said in a statement, “All students deserve to feel safe, welcome and respected in school. Alberta Education recognizes that preventing bullying is a shared responsibility – one that includes parents, students, teachers and the wider community.” Many schools across the nation held events and assemblies including Westminster Elementary School in Lethbridge. Teacher and counsellor Steven Comm, says students and staff held a Pink Shirt Day shirt giveaway. Pink Shirt Day has since spread to other countries including New Zealand.