WANTED: 100 MONTREALERS FOR DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY

Montreal, August 2, 2010---CRARR has joined forces with the Institute for Research and Education on Race Relations (IRERR) to give a final push to the groundbreaking 100 Montrealers for Diversity and Equality Campaign by the end of September 2010.

The initiative seeks the participation of 100 Montrealers to publicly support the fundamental values of diversity and equality, upon which Montreal is founded.

The message of the campaign is simple: regardless of who one is, what one does and where one came from, one contributes to the vitality and growth of this society.

As Montrealers enter a new decade that comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges for human rights, this initiative has become more important than ever. The city's residents are not only becoming more diverse and interconnected in the global community, but also at the vanguard of new social, economic and cultural trends that will define the rest of the coming decade in unprecedented ways. Diversity and equality are therefore increasingly key values that bind, strengthen and enrich their daily lives.

To date, 71 Montrealers have signed onto the campaign. These signatories include artists, professors, former federal Cabinet ministers, leading human rights experts, senators, business people, blue caller workers, business people, students, heads of social service organizations and citizens from different sectors of our city and society. Like the so-called “mosaic democracy” campaign organizers aim to preserve and promote, campaign donors come from a truly broad spectrum of the Montreal community.

Past and present Montrealers, and Montrealers by heart are invited to unite in support of diversity and equality of this campaign by signing on and making a donation of $100 (the full amount is tax deductible if made to IRERR). In exchange, a poster with the names of donors and a special sticker will be created. Links will also appear on both the CRARR and IRERR websites to signatories’ websites or blogs, to foster virtual and real-time networking. Last but not least, some time later this year, there will be an unveiling of the list, at an event with a prestigious personality (video recordings of the launch will be posted on the web).

Please note that one can still make a contribution even if one wishs to remain anonymous. To make a donation, please download and return the enclosed form with your cheque.