Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and New Glasgow Mayor Barrie MacMillan says that the Town of New Glasgow is proud to be a member of the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism.
New Glasgow is among those municipalities across the nation who having officially passed this resolution to contribute to the development of inclusive communities and promote human rights and equality for all.
“New Glasgow officially signed on with the Coalition in January of 2010 and has been a long-time supporter of the Run Against Racism, founded by Deputy Mayor Henderson Paris and now is pleased to support the Marathon of Respect and Equality (MORE) which became the new event when Henderson passed the torch from his incredible 20 years of leading the Run," he said. "We are fortunate Henderson continues to play a role in supporting MORE and also in raising awareness for the elimination of racial discrimination and equality for all, not only personally and as a town councillor but also as a commissioner with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission."
Henderson is council’s lead on a project, working with the Community Economic Development Department to develop an Action Plan for Ending Racism and Discrimination in the Town of New Glasgow. The town has been collecting information from the recent public community development sessions for the plan and there will also be a focus group session to provide input and the plan will be unveiled later this spring.
Deputy Mayor Paris explains that the International Day for the Elimination of Racism became an international event when it was adopted by the United Nations in 1966. This was six years after an event, known as the Sharpeville tragedy or Sharpeville massacre, which captured worldwide attention. This event involved police opening fire and killing 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid “pass laws” in Sharpeville, South Africa, March 21, 1960.
This year's theme for the day is Racism and Sport. According to the United Nations web site, the theme was chosen by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to highlight the problem of racism in sports, which remains a disturbing occurrence in many parts of the world, as well as to raise awareness of the role sports can play in combating racism and racial discrimination.
