A swirl of multicolored lights inspired by the Northern Lights now shines in downtown Winnipeg.
The new exterior glass exhibit surrounding the Canadian Museum for Human Rights kicked off Friday evening to mark International Human Rights Day.
For the CEO of the museum, Isha Khan, this day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the field of human rights and to look to the future.
“It truly is a day to celebrate how far we’ve come in terms of protecting and preserving some of the freedoms we have as human beings,” Khan told CBC host Janet Stewart.
“It is also this day to think about the work that awaits us.”
She said she hopes the museum’s new lighting will bring joy to people who see it.
WATCH | The CEO of the museum explains the significance of the new lighting:
CBC’s Janet Stewart speaks with Isha Khan, CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, about a new illuminated display at the downtown Winnipeg site. 4:14
“It has been a difficult few years and we have illuminated the museum this year just to be a symbol of hope and a bit of a beacon of light that people need,” she said.
“It’s a place where people can come, learn and reflect on human rights, engage in dialogue. And that’s what we’re here for.
The illuminated display will appear every evening from sunset to midnight until February 20.
And at 7 p.m. every night, the lights will turn bright blue to honor healthcare workers and other frontline staff working during the pandemic.
“Healthcare workers have been on the front lines of COVID working hard, and we want to recognize the work they do to keep us together, healthy and safe as a community,” Khan said.
“It goes way beyond our hospitals. There are people everyday who have been through this pandemic for us.
And I see the work our healthcare and frontline workers do as a symbol to us that we can come together, we can care about each other and we wanted to recognize that. “
Khan, a human rights lawyer, took the helm of the museum last summer, as the institution faced allegations of racism, homophobia, sexism and censorship.
A report found later museum workers had experienced systemic racism and other workplace abuse.
She said that restoring staff trust and public trust in the museum is something she thinks about often.
“You do this by building relationships, really reflecting, reflecting and digging deep into who you want to be as a human being and how do we actually treat others around us with value and dignity? ” she said
“And that happens in the smallest moments of every little interaction we have with each other and in big things like the initiatives we have at the museum to tell stories, to present and raise awareness of struggles, courage and to freedom. “
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