PVNC adds its support to collective voice condemning racism

Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board adds its voice to the growing, collective response condemning racism and white supremacy in the lead up to an anticipated neo-Nazism rally in Peterborough.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, our Board of Trustees heard from five articulate secondary students from St. Stephen Catholic Secondary School who spoke of their life-changing journey travelling through concentration camps in Germany and Poland as part of our joint Historical Educational Holocaust Program with York Catholic District School Board. It’s a program PVNC intends to expand in 2018.

“Those students explained how bearing witness to the stories of victims and survivors has changed their lives profoundly,” said Director of Education Michael Nasello, who led the students on the excursion. “They spoke about walking in the footsteps of those voices and carrying forward a responsibility to condemn racism, hate, and intolerance. It is a lesson that appears as important today as it ever was.”

As a Board, our school communities have been enriched as we welcome newcomers from across the world, most recently from countries such as Syria, Rwanda and The Philippines. And we have been privileged to partner with Casa Maria Refugee Homes to sponsor a Syrian family that has proudly called Peterborough home for more than a year now.

We support the values reflected in the unity statement circulating throughout Peterborough and the statement of inclusivity posted by the New Canadians Centre, joining a list of organizations that support peace and inclusion in our community.

NCC Statement: https://goo.gl/gxAu4L

Statement of Unity: https://goo.gl/yeCP2V