Started on the birth anniversary of towering civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 2015 by the Burnaby-based radio station, this year’s campaign was flagged off by the Parliamentary Secretary for anti-racism initiatives in the BC government on Thursday, January 14.  

Rachna Singh joined the Spice Radio’s famous morning buzz show to officially launch Hands Against Racism for 2021 on the eve of King’s 92nd birthday.  

The campaign encourages participants to dip their hands in colours and leave behind a hand print and a message against bigotry on a white sheet of paper.  

These handprints are later framed to be permanently displayed at the Spice Radio studio. Among the most prominent people who have joined the campaign so far are the BC Premier John Horgan, the first turbaned Sikh Defence Minister of Canada, Harjit Singh Sajjan, and former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, besides well-known and uncompromising grassroots level social justice activists such as Harsha Walia.  

Walia was one of the recipients of the annual Hands Against Racism award for 2020.   

“Let’s all strive to be anti racist”, wrote Rachna Singh after leaving her coloured palm print.   

Earlier, during a live interview with Spice Radio CEO Shushma Datt - who is the brain behind Hands Against Racism - Singh spoke about her areas of responsibility and the direction the New Democratic government in Victoria has taken to address the problem of growing intolerance in the province.  

Datt had aimed to link this campaign with Holi, an Indian festival of colour that brings people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds together and breaks the barriers of discrimination.  

The campaign has been recognized by the Province of BC, besides several municipal governments in the province.