Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day honours the experiences of residential school survivors and the ongoing, intergenerational impact the legacy of those institutions has on Indigenous families and communities still to this day. It is also a time to acknowledge the devastating loss of those children who never made it home.

In 2013, at a St. Joseph's Mission residential school commemoration event in Williams Lake, BC, survivor Phyllis Webstad told the story of how her brand new orange shirt was taken away from her on her first day of attending school at the Mission.

Phyllis's story inspired the inception of Orange Shirt Day which has grown into a nationally recognized initiative observed annually.

Orange Shirt Day occurs in early fall because this is the time of year when children were removed from their families and forced to attend residential schools.

The residential school era began in the early 1870’s, with the last school closing in 1996. More than 150,000 Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children attended these schools.

In addition to the damaging forced family separation, loss of cultural identity and loss of language, many survivors have reported suffering unimaginable physical, mental and sexual traumas as well.

There are an estimated 80,000 survivors living today.

We invite you to join us in showing support and commitment to the ongoing process of reconciliation by wearing orange on September 30.

To learn more about the National Day of Truth & Reconciliation and other ways you can get involved, here is more information.

Visit Good Minds online Indigenous book store to order books and learn together with your family.

We recommend reading Stolen Words by Melanie Florence and When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson .