Orange Shirt Day raises awareness of Indigenous residential school experiences
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Renata Birkenbuel, ICT
Memorials abound on the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada and in parts of the United States on Monday, Sept. 30. The federal holiday in Canada became official in 2021.
Even the Canadian Football League is honoring the children who passed away in boarding schools as a way to never forget the horrors done to Native peoples during colonialism.
Also known as Orange Shirt Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a somber, vital time for relatives and friends who want to keep children in their hearts.
“It is a statutory holiday in British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Yukon,” according to ICT’s Canada reporter, Miles Morrissey, Metis Nation. “In those provinces and territories you will get the day off or earn holiday pay. All First Nations administrations and organizations will be closed including schools. ”Preparing for a positive residential school experience, Webstad’s grandmother gifted her with a beautiful orange shirt. But after she arrived at St. Joseph’s, all of her belongings — including her new, memorable orange shirt — were taken away.
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Residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, started Orange Shirt Day in 2013. She chose the color orange because it reminded her of the fateful day when, at the tender age of six, she was taken away from her family to the St. Joseph’s Mission School.
Preparing for a positive residential school experience, Webstad’s grandmother gifted her with a beautiful orange shirt. But after she arrived at St. Joseph’s, all of her belongings — including her new, memorable orange shirt — were taken away.
She never saw her shirt again.
So the orange shirt, now a symbol of solidarity among residential school survivors, represents the often soul-crushing, lonely, dangerous experiences that Native children experienced.
The orange shirt became a symbol of teaching and healing, as well.
The purpose of the day, according to The Indigenous Foundation, is to “raise awareness of the horrific experiences many Indigenous people had in Residential Schools, as well as the legacy of this system. It is a moment to recognize not only historic harms but also the intergenerational impacts and ongoing violence Indigenous communities continue to face.”
Leading up to Monday’s official day that Canada deems a federal holiday is the Remembering the Children Memorial Walk on Sunday, Sept. 29 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Rapid City, South Dakota remembers the children who lived and died at the Rapid City Boarding School on Sept. 30. The Orange Shirt Day also marks the grand opening of the site dedicated to their memory, starting at 9 a.m. (Photo courtesy, RememberingtheChildren.org)
The event features the names of children who passed away while attending the Rapid City Boarding School, which existed from 1893 to 1933.
The walk starts at Sioux Park, 1000 Sheridan Lake Road in Rapid City, and ends at the Remembering the Children Memorial site, near the Canyon Lake United Methodist Church, located at 3500 Canyon Lake Road.
In Mesa, Ariz., an Orange Shirt Day Open Mic event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the MCC Navajo Room, 1833 W. Southern Ave. Poet Tate Walker hosts.
“Immerse yourself in an evening of poetry, music and art that reflects the resilience and history of boarding school survivors, victims and descendents,” reads the Orange Shirt Day Open Mic poster. Artists may sign up at 6 p.m. before the 6:30 p.m. show. All poets, lyricists and musical artists are welcome.
Among the special “Open Mic” events are Renae Blackwater, Shayna Blackwater, the Hopi Dance Group and Miss Native MCC Royalty.
The University of Wisconsin at Madison hosts an Orange Shirt Day at the Indigenous Student Center, 215 Brooks St.
“We encourage you to wear Orange to show support in the honor and remembrance of the Indigenous and First Nations children who were sent away to boarding schools,” according to the Indigenous Student Center. “MHS and ISC will be making a Tribute Tree and ‘Every Child Matters’ Origami Shirts in observance of Orange Shirt Day, how it may be affecting you, and contribute to our community projects.”