Why we wear pink

During the school year, Winnipeg School Division students don pink shirts as a colourful show of support for diversity and empathy for victims of bullying. Some wear the shirts on the International Day of Pink in April, while others celebrate on Pink Shirt Day in February, or on the day of their own school-designated events.

Students at Pinkham School recently took part with their own International Day of Pink challenge.

SRO Constable Garnie McIntyre and Principal Val Mowez made a friendly contest for the occasion: if every Pinkham student and staff member donned pink shirts, Const. McIntyre would shave his beard. If the school didn’t meet that goal, Ms. Mowez would get a nose ring. Students rose to the challenge and the result…Const. McIntyre got a close shave at a morning assembly. For good measure, he also donned a special pink uniform for the event.

He told students that much can be accomplished when everyone joins together.

“You’re better as a team than you are as one person,” Const. McIntyre said. “My advice today is if you guys stick together, participate and watch out for each other, life will be very good.”

Ms. Mowez said that the International Day of Pink was a way of showing unity while recognizing and respecting that everyone is different.

“Today is a day to celebrate our diversity.”

Grade 4 student Rayden Batson and Grade 8 student Havannah Ballantyne said the roots of the event go back to an anti-bullying campaign Central Kings Rural High School in Nova Scotia started in 2008. Students at the school wore pink shirts as a show of support for a fellow student who had been bullied for wearing a pink shirt.

“We have a day of pink so we can celebrate that day,” Rayden said.

Havannah said that having empathy and understanding for others was a way to prevent bullying.

“We can put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes,” Havannah said. “If you somebody is hurt, you can ask them why they are hurting.”