Hi everyone! You may have heard of Joshua, a student-athlete at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Pickering, Ontario. His touching tribute to his grandmother, intended for his high school yearbook, was replaced by yearbook editors with a racist and demeaning passage. Understandably, Joshua has been deeply affected by this reprehensible act: "I haven’t been myself, it’s devastating. I’m holding back tears, it hurts a lot. As a black man, it’s very degrading". The entire event hangs like a cloud over Joshua's 18th birthday on Wednesday, October 14th, which should be a joyous occasion. 

While the harm cannot be undone, we want to give Joshua a reason to smile by showing him how many Canadians and people around the world stand with him and want to wish him a happy 18th birthday. Please, add your own short video birthday message for Joshua below and VidHug will create a fun montage to present to him (with the help of his mother) on Wednesday. Joshua is a promising young football player and a Raptors and Argos fan, so please help spread the word; maybe we can get some of his favourite athletes to surprise him! Thank you for your help and remember, it's a surprise for Joshua! ❤️

Notes: VidHug is waiving all fees associated with this occasion. Only appropriate videos will be used in the birthday montage. If the Telemaque family chooses to share the montage publicly (it is private by default), your video submission may also be shared.

Dear Joshua