Orange Shirt Day
September 30th has been declared Orange Shirt Day annually. This day is in recognition of the harm the residential school system, and the generational effects these events had on Indigenous children, families, and communities.
A 2013 event in Williams Lake, BC, the orange shirt was presented as a symbol of Indigenous peoples' suffering caused by residential schools operating in the 1830s until the 1990s. On September 30th, this day is a means of teaching and healing. Eventually, the federal government declared September 30th as a national statutory holiday. However, only Nunavut and Northwest Territories have introduced the day as a paid, statutory holiday. Other provinces have chosen to declared it as an unpaid holiday, or left it up to employers to give employees the day off.
One woman who spoke at the 2013 event was Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) woman. Phyllis is a residential school survivor, and recalls a striking memory of being forced into different clothing on the first day of school. Phyllis recalls that she never saw her orange shirt again that her grandmother purchased for her.
September 30th invites others to join the conversation about the legacy of residential schools, and the stories of survivors. This day was chosen specifically because it was the day that for generation, Indigenous children were taken away from their families and homes, and forced into the schools. The overall message and slogan of Orange Shirt Day became Every Child Matters.
For more information on Orange Shirt Day, check out these resources!
https://www.orangeshirtday.org/teacher-resources.html
https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
Link to the 94 calls to action
https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
To hear Phyllis Webstad tell her story in her own words, check this link out!