Orange Shirt Day

Posted September 28, 2021

Thursday, September 30th is Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived Residential Schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap), on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Survivors.

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