MANY WINNERS IN MAKE A CASE AGAINST RACISM

VANCOUVER – Sixteen youth artists from across B.C. are winners in the Make A Case Against Racism contest, Attorney General and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism Wally Oppal, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Music BC Industry Association (Music BC) executive director Bob D’Eith announced today.

“I am thrilled to see the level of participation this contest generated,” Oppal said. “This new initiative is an empowering way for youth to discover how great our province can be when we celebrate our diversity and unite to stop racism.”

Students in grades 4 to 7 participated in the project, which involved selecting favourite songs by B.C. music artists and creating original artwork for a Make A Case Against Racism compilation CD. Over 400 students submitted artwork. To view the winning entries, go to: www.mediaroom.gov.bc.ca/DisplayEventDetails.aspx?eventId=415

Songs representing diverse genres, with multicultural and anti-racism themes, were submitted by music artists to Music BC for listing on their website at: www.musicbc.org/mar. Participating students were able to listen to the submissions and vote online for their 15 favourite songs.

Brandon Perrett, 12, of Vancouver Learning Network Elementary School, was selected as the overall winner by a panel of youth judges organized by the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association. Along with having his artwork featured on the front cover insert and CD, Perrett also takes home an iPod Nano. Besides Perrett, 15 other winners will have their artwork featured in the CD booklet. All student participants will receive a copy of the CD.

“Music BC is honoured to have participated in the Make A Case Against Racism project,” said D'Eith. “Addressing this very difficult topic with such creativity is a wonderful way to bring attention to the issue. The students involved created some very provocative and powerful artwork to illustrate the challenge of racism in our communities.”

Local musicians and industries contributed significantly to the project, providing music for the contest and CD. Surrey-based CDman donated 1,000 manufactured CDs as part of its commitment to the project.

The concept for Make A Case Against Racism was inspired by a project led by Abbotsford Community Services and funded by the Ministry of Attorney General.

Make A Case Against Racism is a joint initiative of the ministries of Attorney General, Education, and Public Safety and Solicitor General. It is designed to complement the provincial school curriculum.

“Through this artistic process, students expressed their views about a world free of racism, where people celebrate and accept their differences,” Bond said. “It’s inspiring to see so many students across the province use their creativity to help make British Columbia an even better place to live.”

The project is supported under WelcomeBC, a provincial initiative announced by Premier Gordon Campbell on June 13, 2007. Funding for this initiative is provided in large part by the Government of Canada. WelcomeBC helps immigrants moving to B.C. access existing and expanded services under one umbrella, to assist them in better adapting to life in their new communities.

Information about Make A Case Against Racism is available at: www.WelcomeBC.ca.

-30-

Contact:

Dave Townsend

Senior Public Affairs Officer

Ministry of Attorney General

250 387-4962

250 889-5945 (cell)

Bob D’Eith

Executive Director

Music BC Industry Association (Music BC)

604 873-1914

Public Affairs Bureau

Ministry of Education

250 356-5963

1 backgrounder(s) attached.


For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.