Orange Shirt Day is held across Canada annually on Sept. 30 to acknowledge the time of year in which Indigenous children were taken from their homes to residential schools. It is also an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year.
Orange Shirt Day commemorates the traumatic story of Phyllis Jack Webstad who recalled her first day at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School, proudly wearing an orange shirt gifted from her grandmother. She remembers the orange shirt being forcibly removed, and she was never allowed to wear it again. The day was designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, you are invited to wear an orange shirt and use this day to consider engaging in the various learning opportunities available to grow your understanding of Indigenous cultural knowledge and truth and reconciliation.
Learn more about Orange Shirt Day.