A pink solution for bullying

By Laureen McMahon

On Feb. 27, many students and teachers at Vancouver Catholic schools will be "in the pink" to demonstrate solidarity against bullying.

When Christy Clark, a former B.C. Minister of Education turned talk-radio host, suggested to CISVA Superintendent Doug Lauson that Catholic students could join others to help combat the evils of bullying by wearing a pink T-shirt, he agreed to pass the word.

The pink shirt, Clark explained, became an anti-bullying symbol after a student in Nova Scotia was harassed when he wore a pink polo shirt on the first day of school.

A group of bullies accosted the Grade 9 youngster, called him names suggesting he was homosexual, and threatened to beat him up.

Two other students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, decided to protest the attack and raced off to a local store to purchase 50 pink tank tops which they handed out the next morning to students in the hall.

When the bullied boy saw what they were doing, he looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Price recalled.

The bullies were never heard from again.

"I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders," said Price, 17. "Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid."

After the effective pink shirt strategy spread to dozens of schools across Canada, Clark brought it to the attention of her CKNW audience.

Harm can last

Wednesday's Pink Shirt Day, she said, is just part of an on-air campaign to encourage an action plan about bullying.

"We also want parents and teachers to understand how important a role they can play in helping kids who are bullied," Clark noted. "Every time we've talked about this on the show we've had a tremendous response. It seems everyone has a story. So many people either bear the scars of being bullied, the shame of having been a bully themselves, or are dead scared it will happen to their child."

Lauson suggested that wearing pink is a wonderful outward sign for school kids to adopt because, in spite of the vigilance of teachers, bullying can get a foothold.

"Bullying and the harm it does can last a lifetime. Getting involved in Pink Shirt Day fulfills our mission to help the innocent. It also lets bullies know their behaviour will not be tolerated."