| Pink Shirt Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Canada, New Zealand |
| Date | Last Wednesday of February (Canada)[1] Third Friday of May (New Zealand)[2] |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | September 13, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-09-13) |
| Started by | David Shepherd and Travis Price |
Pink Shirt Day is an annual event against bullying, held in Canada and New Zealand.[1][2] Participants wear pink shirts and attend or host informative events to raise awareness about bullying, particularly in schools. Pink Shirt Day was started in 2007 in Canada, where it is held on the last Wednesday of February each year.[3] It was adopted in New Zealand in 2009 and is observed annually on the third Friday of May.[3]
The original event was organized in 2007 by two grade 12 students named David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia, who bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after a ninth-grade student Chuck McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt during the first day of school at Central Kings Rural High SchoolinCambridge, Nova Scotia.[4][5] That year, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald proclaimed the second Thursday of September (aligning with the start of each school year) as "Stand Up Against Bullying Day" in recognition of these events.[6]
In 2008, then-Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell proclaimed February 27 to be the provincial Anti-Bullying Day.[7] In 2009, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada worked on pink t-shirts that say "Bullying Stops Here." and "Pink Shirt Day" for Anti-Bullying Day.[8]
In May 2009, New Zealand celebrated its first Pink Shirt Day.[3]
In 2012, the United Nations declared May 4 as U.N. Anti-Bullying Day.[9] Similarly, UNESCO declared the first Thursday of November as the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying.[10]
Anti-Bullying Day was instituted to prevent further bullying. The United States Department of Justice showed that one out of four kids will be bullied during their adolescence.[11]
