Nominations Sought for Human Rights Award

On March 21, 1960, 69 peaceful demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa were killed protesting apartheid.

Men, women and children were shot for standing up for their beliefs. Since 1966, the date of the Sharpeville Massacre is known as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

This year, the Partners Against Racism committee (PAR) will use the day to focus on how youth can challenge racism and create change in their communities.

Eliminating Racism: The Power of Youth will use film and interactive activities to demonstrate how young people can take action against racism.

To further honour International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, PAR and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission are looking for a Nova Scotian person, group or organization whose work advances the cause of human rights.

Individuals and organizations across the province are encouraged to make nominations for the Human Rights Award. Nominees must have made a significant contribution to protect human rights in our communities.

Nominations must be received by PAR by Friday, March 2. They must include information on the service or program the person or organization is involved in, its target audience, how the organization or individual works to protect human rights, whether a fee is charged for membership or access to the service and whether the organization or group is non-profit, public sector or corporate.

For nomination applications, see the Human Rights Commission website at http://gov.ns.ca/humanrights/par.htm . Nominations can be forwarded by e-mail to [email protected] or faxed to 902-424-0596, attention Linda Nicholl.

PAR members will consider the nominations and forward recommendations to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission for final approval.

The award will be presented at the International Day for the Eliminations of Racial Discrimination event, Wednesday, March 21.