All Different - All Equal

By Melanie Redman


The United Nations Association in Canada, Toronto Branch, recently hosted "A Sense of Belonging" - an evening of workshops, games and other activities to "raise awareness on cultural diversity issues in Toronto." The event was held to commemorate the 41st International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Day was first established in 1966, following a tragic event that shocks the conscience: the massacre of young students peacefully protesting against apartheid laws, adopted by the South African government, a brutal regime that applied the theory of inequality between races, regardless of humanity’s moral and ethical advances. Proclaiming the International Day, the United Nations General Assembly called upon the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. In 1989, Canada was the first country in the world to hold a national March 21st campaign.

The Toronto Region Branch is the largest of UNA-Canada's branches and has been providing information and education about the United Nations to the people of Toronto for many years. Visit www.to.unac.org for more information.