Charan Gill
Charan Gill | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charan Pal Singh Gill 17 June 1936 |
| Died | 2 February 2021 (aged 84) Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Social activism and human rights advocacy |
Charan Pal Singh Gill
Early life
Gill was born into a
Career
Gill started his career in Canada, working in a sawmill in Williams Lake, British Columbia, until he was forced to stop due to a broken wrist.[2] The injury and subsequent work disruption had Gill shift focus to social work focused on northern communities in British Columbia based out of Prince Rupert.[2][1] He subsequently moved to Surrey in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia and continued his social work. He co-founded the Farm Workers Organizing Committee, focused on improving the living conditions for farm workers in the region and co-founded the Canadian Farmworkers Union in 1978 to improve the living and working standards of farmworkers and focus on human rights, health and safety of the workers across the country.[2][3]
He was the co-founder of British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism in the early 1980s, which was set up to counter the actions of right-wing extremist groups including the local Ku Klux Klan.[2] During the 1980s and 1990s, the organization's offices were repeatedly vandalized and the family subjected to many threats to their lives as they advocated actions against racially motivated attacks.[2]
Some of his other roles as a human rights activist included serving as an executive member of the BC Human Rights Coalition and serving as the president of the BC Organization to Fight Racism. He was also the founder of Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society, and also of the Rainbow Community Health Co-operative. Through these organizations he worked for the health and social justice actions for the South-Asian community in British Columbia.[3] Some of the other causes advanced by these organizations included combating domestic violence, elder abuse, and support programs for visible minorities.[2]
Gill was inducted to the
In 2010, Gill was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards presented by
Personal life
Gill and his wife, Daljit Gill, had three children. The family moved to Canada from India in 1969, two years after Gill moved. He died on 2 February 2021, in Langley, British Columbia, from cancer.[2] He was 84.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "Charan Gill, Canadian Community and Social Justice Activist, Passes Away". Financial Post. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Charan Gill, human rights pioneer and B.C. South Asian community leader, dies at 84". Global News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "1999 Recipient: Charan Pal Singh Gill – Surrey : Order of BC". Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "OBITUARY: Charan Gill, founder of Surrey's PICS and champion of farmers, was 'a living legend'". Surrey Now-Leader. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Charan Gill". BC Achievement Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "KEATCA – Daljit and Charan Gill Grant". keatca.org. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Canada's Top 25 Immigrants 2010". Canadian Immigrant. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.