September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This was originally a grass-roots initiative by Indigenous Peoples, and was declared a national day in 2021.
The date was selected because it was the day when Indigenous children had to return to residential schools.
The symbol of the orange shirt was selected because of Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor. When she went to residential school, her aunt gave her an orange shirt. When she arrived at the school, it was taken off her, and she never saw it again. Just one small instance of the cruelty of these schools, at which hundreds of Indigenous children died – of disease, neglect, and starvation inflicted by the staff of the schools.
It’s a great day to learn more about the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and to donate to Indigenous charities.
Here are some suggestions for where to donate:
- Indigenous Residential School Survivors Society
- First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
- Orange Shirt Society
- Woodland Cultural Centre, which is next door to the former Mohawk residential school in Brantford, Ontario. You can order an orange shirt from there and all the proceeds go to the Save the Evidence campaign (which aims to preserve the residential school to prevent genocide denial).
Here are some links if you want to learn more:
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- University of Alberta free online course: Indigenous Canada
- Indigenous Issues Primers – Chelsea Vowel. Fantastic set of resources on all aspects of Indigenous culture and issues.
- Indian Residential Schools, “A National Crime” – Presentation
- Do you live near a residential school? (CBC interactive)
- The Story of A National Crime (1922, Peter Henderson-Bryce)
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action (2015)
- Spirit Bear’s Guide to the TRC Calls to Action (child-friendly language)
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