Abbotsford cyclist gears up for diversity
Ken Herar will be cycling to Victoria to raise awareness about diversity.
Photograph by: Jean Konda-Witte, TIMES
Spreading the word about inclusion and diversity, Mission resident and Times columnist Ken Herar is taking his message to the streets, literally, as he kicks off his four-day Cycling for Diversity tour on Wednesday.
The 200 kilometre trek will take him and a small group of riders from the Fraser Valley to Victoria, with many stops along the way to share his message.
"By creating awareness, we are making a difference," said Herar. "But we should never stop building cultural bridges."
Herar and his small group of riders are planning stops in Mission, Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby, Vancouver, Richmond and Victoria to speak at elementary and high schools and civic celebrations.
"The best way to build an inclusive community is through celebration. That's what we're doing here, to stop in communities to talk with children in schools and celebrating what we have here in Canada," he said.
"There are many cultures and faces that represent our community. Our nation was built on diversity. This is how our nation is moving forward but we need to work at it."
The trip celebrates the United Nations World Day for Cultural Diversity on May 21. As well the District of Mission has also declared May 16-21 as Cultural Diversity Week.
On Wednesday, the Cycling for Diversity team will visit Griner Park in Mission at 8:15 a.m. for the planting of a Ginko Biloba tree, an evergreen native to China. The cyclists will make five stops at Mission schools and the Mission Indian Friendship Centre before travelling to Dasmesh Punjabi School in Matsqui Village, W.J. Mouat Secondary and Howe Middle School.
A second tree planting is set at 2:30 p.m. at Old Yale Road and South Fraser Way, where three maple trees will be planted to celebrate the ride.
Canada Safeway in Abbotsford is the next stop at 3:30 p.m. for an hour-long diversity celebration featuring entertainment by Korean drummers and snacks provided by the grocery store.
At 5 p.m. the team will also make a quick visit to the Abbotsford Heritage Sikh Temple to pay their respects to the historic building which is celebrating its centennial.
By nightfall the cyclists will make their way to Langley for more diversity activities the next day.
The schedule for the next three days will include more school and civic visits before the trip concludes in Victoria at the Legislature.
Interested riders are welcome to join the trek for part or all of the ride and an ongoing journal of the daily activities will be posted on the Cycling for Diversity Facebook page or @RickRake on Twitter.
For more details, contact Herar at 604-615-2499.
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