The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee is pleased to announce it has been selected by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s Awards Jury as one of the top nominees to be honoured at the 2001 Award of Excellence Symposium, “Inspiring Excellence to Achieve Change,” on March 2-4, in Vancouver.
The official announcement of this year’s Award of Excellence, Award of Distinction, and Honourary Mention will take place at a press conference March 2 in Vancouver.
The official award gala ceremony will be held at the National Nikkei Heritage Centre Society in Burnaby that evening.
The honour comes just as the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee prepares for its 11th-annual Race Relations Week (March 18-25). The intent of this week is to commemorate and celebrate March 21, which is the “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.”
Sioux Lookout is the only community in Northwestern Ontario that structures a week of activities around March 21.
Race Relations Week is a time in which differences are celebrated, appreciation of being a multicultural community is realized, a strong anti-racism message is relayed throughout the whole week, and people have fun together as a community.
Some of the events featured include the multicultural potluck dinner, aboriginal land rights workshop, cooking classes (East Indian, Japanese, Caribbean, and bannock-making), interagency luncheon, cosmopolitan pizza party, community forum on the “Bridges of Understanding 2000” Report on Race Relations in Sioux Lookout, Walk for Harmony, and much, much more.
Local school classes will be matched up with businesses to set up displays or to decorate windows in the participating business around the Race Relations Week theme, “One Heartbeat,” or of a culture of their choice.
Businesses and organizations also will be asked to invite their nearest neighbouring business or organizations for either coffee, lunch, or a potluck supper in hopes of promoting a sense of community.
The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee has worked hard to develop programs and services that would address the needs identified by the community, and continues to face the challenges of overcoming prejudice and discrimination as we work together to build “bridges of understanding.”
The committee would like to thank the businesses, organizations, and people of Sioux Lookout for continuing their support of its initiatives and programs.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
