‘Say Hello’ campaign aims to reduce racism, discrimination in Kingston

It’s a disturbing picture of the Limestone City.

A survey by the City of Kingston finds seven out of 10 people have witnessed racism and discrimination in the city; non- European-Canadians are seven times higher. Now there’s a new campaign, the “Say Hello” initiative, to draw attention to the problem and to highlight solutions.

“Sometimes we shy away from what’s uncomfortable but perhaps it is time to have those conversations now and the objective ultimately is to have a very welcoming community,” said Sunita Gupta with the Kingston Community Health Centres.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Sometimes we shy away from what's uncomfortable but perhaps it is time to have those conversations now and the objective ultimately is to have a very welcoming community," said Sunita Gupta with the Kingston Community Health Centres.

Five partners are involved in the campaign, including the Kingston Community Health Centres, KEYS Job Centre, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, ACFOME, as well as the city itself. Clare Mak appears in an online video that talks about the initiative.

“I know it’s not an easy subject to discuss or to think about,” Mak said. “But I think the reality is unless we want to end up like the situation in the States, we don’t want to be a polarizing community.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I know it's not an easy subject to discuss or to think about," Mak said. "But I think the reality is unless we want to end up like the situation in the States, we don't want to be a polarizing community."

The Say Hello campaign runs until the end of September, but organizers hope people will fight discrimination all year long.