Terry Paul Choyce
October 21, 2007, Brunswick Street United Church
Today's service was inspired by Paul Andrews Oakley, and his wife Zandi. Paul had the idea of wearing pink to show our support for the different groups who have been wearing pink to stop bullying in the schools and on the streets. This is part of an article that appeared on Oct. 1, 2007 in the Daily News, written by Charles Moore:
There's been something captivating and inspiring about the story of two Annapolis Valley teenagers who scored a triumph over bullying and meanness using a box of pink tank tops. Now, the anti-bullying "Pink Shirts for Peaceful Schools" movement has attracted international attention and spread to other campuses throughout the province and beyond - with momentum continuing to build.
To recap, a Grade 9 student at Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge was harassed by some older thugs on the first day of school for the heinous indiscretion of wearing a pink polo shirt. Two Grade 12 students, Travis Price and David Shepherd, decided to take action.
They didn't directly confront the bullies, which probably wouldn't have ended well. Instead, they shamed them by somehow convincing half the student body - 400 classmates - to wear pink in protest. They also purchased 75 pink tank tops, which they distributed to fellow male students unlikely to have appropriately pink apparel in their wardrobes.
Reportedly, the pink-bashers were suitably humiliated by this popular revolt against their intimidation. But then what could they do? Beat up half the school?
The beauty and elegance of this vignette was that while it's a plot that frequently plays out in movies, - the unlikely everyman protagonist prevailing over mean-spiritedness and small-mindedness - is too seldom emulated in real life experience.
So bravo to David and Travis, who have shown themselves to be young men of substance and integrity who took considerable trouble to make a positive difference. Bravo, as well, to all the now-thousands of others who have joined their protest, exemplifying the corollary to Edmund Burke's dictum: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing," ergo: the defeat of evil requires that good men and women do something.
As Education Minister Karen Casey observed last week in an open letter to Price and Shepherd that was read at a Sept. 25 Province House ceremony in their honour, "Your protest in pink was simple and at the same time profoundly moving. That gesture of support for your schoolmate, and the buy-in from your school, did more to advance the cause of respect in schools than any anti-bullying program we've been able to create so far."
In recognition of what these young men have accomplished, Premier Rodney MacDonald, wearing a pink tie at the ceremony, announced that the second Thursday of every school year will henceforth be known as Stand Up Against Bullying Day, on which the province is encouraging students to wear pink to school. "We want to see our students take a leadership role, and they've done so in this case," MacDonald noted. "There's no one single program or ... act that will stop bullying. But together, we can really make a difference." "We're glad to see that what we did is going farther than just us," Price commented after meeting with the premier. "Hopefully we can have an international pink day."
So good on David Shepherd end Travis Price and everyone else who stands up to bullies - preferably with imagination and wit, as they did. We can all take a lesson from their example.
Today at Brunswick St. United we are proudly wearing pink. We want to make the statement that bullying everywhere is wrong - violence and discrimination everywhere is wrong. Each of us in our own personal lives can do something to make the world a more peaceful loving place. If we have the courage to stand up to our convictions, to speak our truths, to right the wrongs that we see, and to live lives of peace, then we will help to make the world a safer, friendlier place.
There are many causes of violence. Often people who have been treated with cruelty and unfairness may lash out at others. Sometimes people who are under large amounts of stress from ill health, family problems, job frustrations, and other stressors, may be mean or violent. A huge stressor is the constant discomfort and insecurity that comes with living in poverty. Many people in this community well know about that form of stress.
Last Wednesday a Poverty Reduction Strategy for NS was presented , and I went to the press conference. Here is the plan for eliminating poverty.(Hold it up), and you can have a look at it after the service, and you can get your own copy up on Gottigen St. at The Community Action on Homelessness office. This report admits that this is a complex problem and that it will take co-operation from government, businesses, churches, community groups, and of course, individuals, to begin to stop the vicious cycle of poverty.
Among the recommendations are raising the minimum wage so that no one works full time and still lives below the poverty level, like millions of Canadians do now. They call for the construction of affordable, quality housing. The housing situation in Metro right now is deplorable if you are low or no income. Social assistance payments need to be dramatically raised. Everyone needs access to bussing, to dental and eye care, to programs for those with mental health issues, addictions, and/or physical
handicaps. There are many more components to this plan, and I hope you will take the time to look at this booklet.
Every person needs to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their economic situation, their race, their sex, their sexuality, their religion, their nationality, their abilities, their education, or their age. This was the message of Jesus, who treated everyone with love and understanding. As Christians we have the life example of Jesus to guide us in our own lives. And as members of this church we have the support of everyone here in our day-to-day journey of love. God gives us the inner strength to overcome our own adversities. We get the courage to stand up to injustice and cruelty. We have faith that the grace of God will be with us at all times, helping us to be more like Christ.
So proudly wear your pink today. Show people that you will not tolerate violence in any form. And please do all you can to help make the changes necessary to stop poverty. Contact your local politicians and tell them you support the Poverty Reduction Strategy. Become involved in community groups that are trying to help people. And do small things everyday to make life safer and more comfortable for people that you meet.
I'd like to end with this little song that I adapted from a song by Karen MacKay on the O Beautiful Gaia cd. It goes like this:
"If every person in the world, had their mind set on freedom,
If every person in the world, dreamed the sweet dream of Peace,
If every person in every nation, young and old, each generation
Held their hands out in the name of love,
There would be no more poor."
Beatiudes of Peace Pilgrim
Blessed are they who give without expecting even thanks,
for they shall be abundantly rewarded
Blessed are they who translate every good thing they know into action,
for even higher truths shall be revealed unto them.
Blessed are they who do God's will without asking to see results,
for great shall be their recompense.
Blessed are they who after dedicating their lives and thereby receiving a blessing, have the courage and faith to surmount the difficulties of the path ahead,
for they shall receive a second blessing.
Blessed are they who advance toward the spiritual path with inner peace,
for they shall find it.
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
