A $4,000 multiculturalism grant will allow the Creston Museum to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the local Refugee Committee.
“Building an inclusive multicultural community is important to our social fabric here in the Kootenays,” Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall said last week. “I’m proud to be part of a government funding this vital work in our region.”
Mungall announced the funding from the province’s Multiculturalism Grant Program for projects designed “to promote multiculturalism and fight racism.”
With its 40-year history of bringing in refugee families and providing financial and life support, the Refugee Committee has contributed greatly to Creston’s cultural fabric.
The Creston District Historical & Museum Society will host a one-day event to build awareness and understanding of refugees, new Canadians, and culturally-diverse communities within the Creston Valley.
“We are partnering with the Refugee Committee to host an event, on June 27, that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Committee, their plans to welcome their 100th family, and the diversity their work has brought to the community,” Museum manager Tammy Hardwick said on Friday from London’s Heathrow Airport.
A total of 76 community groups around the province will receive funding through the Multiculturalism Grant Program. The program promotes intercultural trust and understanding by funding projects that bring people together in creative ways to enhance multiculturalism and address racism. The B.C. Government provides $300,000 annually to communities across B.C. through this grant program.
This grant program is just one way the province is tackling human rights issues. In November 2018 the BC NDP government introduced legislative amendments to the Human Rights Code that will re-establish a human rights commission to promote and protect human rights for all British Columbians.
