Bradford is once again reminding residents of the importance of acceptance and inclusion.
Local dignitaries and members of community organizations gathered to announce the eighth annual #ITSTARTS campaign with a flag-raising ceremony at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Court House on Monday afternoon, March 4.
On behalf of the town and council, Mayor James Leduc officially proclaimed March 2024 as #ITSTARTS month in town, both as part of the County of Simcoe’s annual campaign and in recognition of March 21 as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
“This month presents an opportunity to further the resolve as we pause to celebrate the diversity of the human race rather than allow our dissimilarities to become a reason for racial separation,” the mayor read during the proclamation. “We encourage all to celebrate the differences in each other like race, culture, colour, national origin, gender, age, disability and religion.”
Samira Rashidian is the founder and president of the Barrie Persian Association, a not-for-profit organization supporting the Canadian-Persian community in the county, and she noted the “amazing” #ITSTARTS campaign helps “to make our beautiful Simcoe a more diverse and more welcoming community for everyone,” adding that more multicultural groups have been joining the campaign every year.
Rashidian said the majority of Persian people coming to the county settle in Bradford, largely due to its proximity to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and based on data from Statistics Canada, there were 1,460 Persian language speakers in the county in 2021 (the most recent year for which data was available) with 900 of them residing in Bradford.
March is also Persian Heritage Month.
Started as an initiative of the county in 2017 with guidance from the Simcoe County Local Immigration Partnership (SCLIP), #ITSTARTS is a public awareness campaign intended to encourage the community to take collective action against racism and discrimination by sharing messages of inclusion on social media using the hashtag #ITSTARTS and tagging the County of Simcoe (@CountyofSimcoe on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, @simcoecounty on X — formerly known as Twitter).
In a recent press release, Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke noted the county is home to more than 82,000 immigrants and growing.
“Immigrants are key to Simcoe County’s success, and our community settlement strategy will help guarantee that we continue to build welcoming and supportive communities across our region,” he said.
For more information about the campaign and ways to participate, visit the county’s website.
