A veteran marathon runner invoked the legacy of Nelson Mandela weeks before the annual Marathon of Respect and Equality travels through Pictou County on May 3.
New Glaswegian Henderson Paris founded the Run Against Racism, which later became the Marthon of Respect and Equality
On Tuesday, he joined representatives of Pictou County’s communities at the Pictou Landing First Nation School, where a proclamation was signed backing MORE, whose theme this year is ‘Still on the Journey.’
“There are many more hills to climb,” said Paris, quoting Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
He warned his young audience that serious threats to racial and social harmony remain, alluding to an uptick in racism witnessed after Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president in 2016.
At the same time, lesbians, gays, transgender people and other sexual minorities also face prejudice and have suffered from hate crimes. The worst recent example was the mass murder of 49 people at an Orlando nightclub in 2016 by ISIS terrorist Omar Mateen, who was himself shot by police.
“It’s taken a huge step backwards, there’s so much emphasis on all this now that I’m afraid that people will want to be more involved in these kinds of behaviours,” Paris told The News.
However, Paris and the others present for Tuesday’s proclamation signing remained optimistic that racism and misogyny could be defeated.
A large number of politicians both locally and around the world have also spoken out against prejudice in society and have backed legislation to protect those at risk.
“We want to ensure that everyone who lives in Pictou County is respected and accepted regardless of who they are and what they believe in, [or] who they love,” said MORE chairperson Peter White. “We’re still at it.”
MORE 2018 will include a stop in Pictou Landing, where Tuesday’s proclamation was signed and guests enjoyed traditional First Nations music.
As for Paris himself, he plans on running at least part of the marathon.
“Twenty-nine years later I’m still wanting to do it but some parts of the body are saying perhaps no,” he said.
Also present at the proclamation signing were Pictou Landing First Nation chief Andrea Paul, New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks, Pictou’s Jim Ryan, Trenton’s Shannon MacInnis, Westville’s Roger MacKay, Pictou County Warden Robert Parker and Stellarton councillor Bryan Knight.
