Truemors
When Vancouver radio talk show host Christy Clark received a call from
a woman last year who was so ashamed about her bullying behaviour when
she was younger that she wanted the world to know her guilt and regret,
Clark never believed it could turn into a day where everyone took a
moment to remember what it was like to either be bullied, or to be a
bully and take a stand against it.
The idea for the day to become
pink came from the fact that two students in Nova Scotia organized a
school protest last year and wore pink to show support for their
classmate who was bullied for wearing the girly colour to school.
Anyone
can be a victim of bullying - I have many friends who were - and I
always tried to stand up for them, but now we can all take a stand and
wear one colour that unites us all.
CKNW
talk show host Christy Clark says she never imagined so many people
would sign on to her anti-bullying campaign and pledge to wear pink
today."I'm astonished," said Clark on Tuesday. "It's something that speaks to an experience that most of us have had."
The former provincial cabinet minister said more than 100,000 people have signed on to her wear pink Facebook event page.
The host of the Christy Clark Show said her anti-bullying campaign has touched a nerve."I
can tell you that from the phone calls and e-mails we've received, I
wouldn't be surprised if 80 per cent of people have been bullied, or
watched someone be bullied, or been a bully," Clark said."I just think it speaks to a universal human experience."
Premier
Gordon Campbell, at Clark's request, urged British Columbians to wear
pink to work and school today to mark what has now been proclaimed
provincial anti-bullying day. The day is being marked in schools with
discussions and other forms of awareness raising.Several Lower
Mainland municipalities, including the City of Vancouver, have also
declared today to be anti-bullying day. Many unions are also supporting
the campaign.Clark said the roots of the wear-pink protest go
back to a call from a listener last year who confessed to having been a
bully when she was young.The woman, now in her 40s, talked about
breaking a young boy's clavicle and about taking a young girl, placing
her in an abandoned car and threatening to drive her away from her
family."This woman felt so much shame and guilt and so she came
on our show and talked about it. She told us that we had to do
something about bullying."Then Clark heard about how two
students in Nova Scotia organized a school protest last year to wear
pink in solidarity with a classmate who had been bullied for wearing
pink to school.The Nova Scotia protest inspired the CKNW talk
show host to begin urging British Columbians about six weeks ago to
join her wear pink anti-bullying campaign."It's so incredible the power that one small seemingly insignificant act can achieve."
Clark, mother of a Grade 1 student, said every parent is "dead scared" their child will be bullied or become a bully.
She added that bullying is a habit that can extend through life.
"If we don't deal with bullies when they are kids, they will still be bullies when they are older and go into workplaces."
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