Show your support against racial discrimination with #ItStartsWithMe campaign

While not always acknowledged, racism and discrimination is present in Canadian communities and on the internet on a daily basis. Discriminatory attitudes prevent residents from reaching their full potential and thereby limits the social and economic growth of the community. Municipal governments can counter these attitudes by publicly demonstrating that racial discrimination is not accepted in Alberta’s communities.

To celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), the Canadian Commission for the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (CCUNESCO) is launching a nationwide social media campaign to raise public awareness about racism and discrimination and the role that Canadians can play to eliminate it.

Here are some ways municipalities, organizations, and citizens can take part:

• Take a photo wearing something red and post it on social media platforms with messaging signs from the CCUNESCO Website.
• Post a video (suggested time 20 seconds) on social media about why eliminating racism and discrimination is important.
• Light up a building in red on March 21 to celebrate the Day and post a photo on social media;
• Display the campaign materials in offices and buildings in the days before March 21 to raise awareness about the campaign.
• Share CCUNESCO Facebook posts and tweets to help spread the word.
• Replace Facebook and Twitter cover photos with the campaign banner.
• Host a local event to celebrate the day.

To help CCUNESCO follow the campaign, please use the hashtags #ItStartsWithMe and #FightRacism and “tag” CCUNESCO on your posts:

Facebook: Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Twitter: @CCUNESCO

To learn more about how to eliminate social exclusion, visit AUMA’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities website or wic [at] auma.ca (contact us).