2006 Human Rights Award Winners Named
Canada's first black senator and a founding member of one of the province's first human rights affirmative action committees have been awarded the 2006 Human Rights Awards by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and Partners Against Racism (PAR).
Senator Donald Oliver of Halifax and Pat Elms Skinner of Antigonish were honoured today, March 21, at a celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Mayann Francis, CEO and director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, told a group gathered in Dartmouth that March 21 is a time to reflect on the battles for dignity that many continue to face. She said it was a time to think of "people who have taken time out of busy lives to work together for the common good. We remember those who went before us. And we take a moment to honour those who continue the work, people like Senator Don Oliver and Pat Elms Skinner."
Senator Oliver was recognized for his tireless work improving the quality of life for visible minorities around the world. A lawyer, former president and chair of the Halifax Children's Aid Society, and founding president and first chair of the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia, Senator Oliver was the province's third black lawyer and the nation's first black member of Senate.
Ms. Skinner, a founding member of the Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, was instrumental in the introduction of housing programs for communities in Upper Big Tracadie, Lincolnville and Sunnyville. A former employee of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission's north eastern regional office, she was also a founding member of the Town of Antigonish's affirmative action committee and received the 125th Canada Medal for Volunteer Community Service.
Each year, as part of its annual March 21 events, Partners Against Racism (PAR) and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission honour Nova Scotians who have helped advance the cause of human rights. PAR is a volunteer organization that represents private and public sector organizations that are committed to racial harmony and awareness of human rights issues.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination commemorates the events of March 21, 1960, when 69 people were killed and more than 180 injured in Sharpeville, South Africa, after police fired upon anti-apartheid demonstrators.