On January 15, students and teachers in BC wore black shirts to school.
They wore black shirts to raise awareness about racism.
Why January 15?
January 15 was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Martin Luther King Junior fought for the rights of African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s. He raised awareness about racism against Black people.
A petition for Black Shirt Day
Kamika Williams is a member of the Anti-Racism Coalition of Vancouver. She went to school in BC.
Williams helped start a petition to make Black Shirt Day mandatory for all schools across Canada. She wants students to learn more about Black history.
“There’s a lot of Black people in Canada who aren’t represented in the educational system,” she said. “You go to school and none of the teachers and the principals look like you and none of the stories they talk about in history reflect anyone who looks like you. Although you’ve been here for hundreds of years.”
Williams hopes that Black Shirt Day will be official by 2022.
Adapted from Global News • Photo: change.org