September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, a day that recognizes the harm Canada’s residential school system inflicted on Indigenous children and their families, and the ongoing trauma that remains today.
It is a day to remember and honour the life of every child.
The goal of Orange Shirt Day is to create awareness of the individual, family, and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Day activities, and to promote the concept of Every Child Matters. The Orange Shirt Society was formed in Williams Lake, British Columbia by the founders of Orange Shirt Day to encourage and support communities to recognize Orange Shirt Day and to support reconciliation events and activities.
About Phyllis Webstad
Phyllis Webstad’s experience at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in the 1970s inspired Orange Shirt Day. Phyllis is Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). She comes from mixed Secwepemc and Irish/French heritage, was born in Dog Creek, and lives in Williams Lake, BC. Phyllis continues to tell her story, touring Canada and raising awareness. She has published two books, the “Orange Shirt Story” and “Phyllis’s Orange Shirt” for younger children.
Resources
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| Exhibitions | A National Crime: Canada’s Indian Residential School. The Legacy of Hope is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that works to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. Its goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System and subsequent Sixties Scoop on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote healing and Reconciliation. While their in-person exhibits are limited due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, some of their exhibits are digitally available. |
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