#PinkShirtDay The Fairmont Empress construction team taking a stroll! Photo by Kyara Kahakauwila @LALimoVictoria on Twitter

Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet. Today many people in Victoria and across Canada participated in Pink Shirt Day to symbolize they will not tolerate bullying.

From humble beginnings supporting one bullied teenager in Nova Scotia, to helping thousands of youth in Canada, here is how Pink Shirt Day started:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied [for wearing a pink shirt]…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school. ‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’ So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag. As they stood in the foyer handing outScreen Shot 2015-04-01 at 5.25.16 PM the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled. The bullies were never heard from again.”

Here are some photos and video from around Victoria today:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCL2WcYk_w5/?tagged=yyj

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCLJWxuJqsH/?tagged=victoriabuzz

A few from out of town:

 



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