THUNDER BAY – Today has been proclaimed Weed Out Hate Day in Thunder Bay. Mayor Keith Hobbs along with children and staff from Little Lions Waldorf Daycare & Kindergarten and St. Elizabeth School planted sunflowers as a commitment to peace in Thunder Bay. Others local school, including Claude Garton and McKenzie School are also involved.
Together they pulled out weeds and planted sunflowers as a metaphor for weeding out hate, bias, prejudice and racism in our community. The sunflowers are a reminder of our commitment to weed out hate, eliminate bullying, plant love and peace, and promote inclusion.
“It is essential that within a community, all people feel accepted, supported and safe,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs. “This can be achieved by making people feel included, respected and valued, and these are things that children understand. It is our hope that through initiatives such as Weed Out Hate Day, we can eliminate bullying and hatred in our community.”
“Little Lions, following the Waldorf philosophy, educates children to become citizens dedicated to a peaceful society,” said Marilyn Grudniski, Executive Director of Little Lions Waldorf Daycare & Kindergarten. “We encourage this in all aspects of our daily work and believe that by starting when children are very young, we will eventually achieve it. We lead by example and therefore it is important that this vision is brought to the wider community through public initiatives such as Weed Out Hate Day.”
This is the third year that the City of Thunder Bay has proclaimed a day in June as Weed Out Hate Day.
For more information on the Weed Out Hate Day initiative, visit: weedouthate.org
