The Retrospective Blog - 1. Stand Together Against Racism ( STAR) Event

The Retrospective Blog - 1. Stand Together Against Racism ( STAR) Event

Mar, 21 2020


~Welcome to ‘The Retrospective Blog’ each week until the virus has diminished I’ll be writing about the positive events The CCG has had the pleasure to host over the last several years.

This week I’m going to be  looking at The Stand Together Against Racism Event ( STAR) which has taken place annually in March since 2014.

The 2020 event was scheduled to be delivered to an appreciative audience today between the hours of 11am - 3pm on Preston’s Flag Market. Instead however I’ll be telling you more about  past events and why it’s so important.

One year after it’s inception came the 2015 event. This was memorable for a lot of people. It was in this year that  organisers got Dance Syndrome and Salsa North West involved. This helped to  raise awareness about Down Syndrome and how perception differs from reality.

It was a truly successful event for DanceSyndrome in both establishing new members and raising the profile of the organisation.

Two years later came the 2017 one. It was staged at the 53 Degrees venue in Preston where almost 100 young people filled the room in honour of the occasion. They were there to mark the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The children did a variety of performances as a choral group and as an intimate drama circle re-enacting scenarios that may  have occurred due  to a racist attack. The youngsters came from the following three institutions:-

  1. Fulwood Academy
  2. Ashton Community Science College
  3. Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble

In addition, another event was organised at the Preston Flag Market in which a variety of groups came to represent the city’s cultural influence with both music and dance.

Over the past seven years the event has grown from strength to strength and it’s the hard hitting speeches from young people that play an indelible mark on the audience’s mind and heart that stay with them long  into the working week with the intention to shape their outlook and change the way they perceive people of a different race so that we can be equal as one and no longer judge our fellow man or woman.

Hopefully the STAND TOGETHER AGAINST RACISM ( STAR ) Event will return March 2021.

^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger