One Greater Victoria youth aims to spread the word against racism, and influence her peers with a rally Sunday in Victoria.
Leighla Foster, a Grade 10 student at St. Michaels University School, organized Kids vs. Racism for March 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. on the front lawn of the B.C. legislature building.
It all started with the news one night. Leighla and her mom Maggie Zhang were watching the news, and alarmed by the ongoing reports of anti-Asian attacks.
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The news inspired her to create awareness, and with her mother’s help, she got the permits in place for the youth rally.
“Kids don’t have opinions about those things and we want to make sure they have open minds about all cultures, all communities,” Leighla said. “No one deserves to be attacked due to their race.”
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She spread the word through social media, and her mom’s circles. The teen discovered like-minded youth in other cities, and they coordinated to have several fall on the same day in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, the Okanagan, Tri-City, and Vancouver.
She expects to have about 30 to 50 youth and parents attend, following social distancing and mask protocols.
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