Pink Shirt Day is an official holiday where everyone in Aotearoa wear pink shirts to symbolise as unity and try to prevent bullying from happening. This week on Friday, the Kāhu students will be wearing pink shirts to support and prevent the situation of bullying and harassment.

So we know the reasons why we celebrate Pink Shirt Day but what I would like to know is who started this trend and how did happen? For questions like this, we need to trace back to 2007 in Canada.

‘SEA OF PINK’ Support

It started with 2 Nova Scotia students in grade 12 from Central Kings Rural High School located in the small community, Cambridge. Word spread when a boy who was starting grade 9 and apparently a new student was harassed for wearing a pink polo shirt on his first day. In the article, the students said that bullies threaten to beat him. Our heroes come into the story and they decided to take action. David Shepard and Travis Price bought 50 pink shirts including a few tank tops from a nearby discount shop for all of the students to wear. On the next day, everyone wore their pink shirts that the 2 boys bought for them, some even wore pink from head to toe. When the grade 9 boy arrived at the school, the students said it was a powerful moment for all of them, including the boy who might’ve been embarrassed by his fellow classmates’ support. Ever since that event happened, there was no word of the bullies or discussion about it. It did not just stop there because the US province show host Ellen DeGenres talked about her interest of the ‘sea of pink’, this encouraged other schools to start their own. David and Travis were overwhelmed just by being at a young, they were already famous across the globe.

Pink Shirt Day officially became a holiday in 2009 in Aotearoa and the campaign has been even stronger and bigger with their ongoing support.