Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself.
Who introduced Orange Shirt Day?
Phyllis Webstad
Learn about Phyllis Webstad, residential school Survivor and the founder of the Orange Shirt Day movement. Wear Orange.
When did Canada start Orange Shirt Day?
2013
Orange Shirt Day was first established as an observance in 2013, as part of an effort to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century.
Who started the orange shirt society?
Phyllis (Jack) Webstad
The Orange Shirt Society (Society) is a non-profit organization with its home in Williams Lake, BC where Orange Shirt Day began in 2013. The Orange Shirt Society was founded by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad and others who are no longer on our Board.
What is Orange Shirt Day in Canada?
Orange Shirt Day was created as an opportunity to discuss the effects of residential schools and their legacy. It honours the experiences of Indigenous Peoples, celebrates resilience and affirms a commitment that every child matters. Learn how to participate in Orange Shirt Day on September 30.
What is the history behind Orange Shirt Day?
The Orange Shirt Day movement was started by Phyllis Webstad, a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation and former residential school student, to honour Survivors and intergenerational Survivors, and to remember those children who never made it home.
Why do we wear orange Canada?
Wear orange
The orange shirt is 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 honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.
Who wore the first orange shirt?
In 1973, when Phyllis (Jack) Webstad was six years old, she was sent to the Mission School near Williams Lake, BC. Her first memory of her first day at the Mission School was that of having her own clothes taken away – including a brand new orange shirt given to her by her grandmother.
Who created residential schools?
The schools were established by the Canadian Government and administered by the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian, and United churches in the 1870’s and were in operation until 1996.
When was the last residential school in Canada closed?
1996
The last Indian residential school, located in Saskatchewan, closed in 1996. On June 11, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper on behalf of the Government of Canada issued a public apology to Aboriginal Peoples acknowledging Canada’s role in the Indian Residential Schools system.
What do orange shirts symbolize?
The orange shirts are a symbol of solidarity. Wearing orange recognizes the many losses experienced by students, their families and communities, over several generations, including loss of family and culture, language, freedom, parenting, self‐esteem and worth, and painful experiences of abuse and neglect.
How much money did Orange Shirt Day raise?
Last year, more than one million Orange Sprinkle Donuts were sold across Canada, raising over $1.6 million for the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
How much money did residential school survivors get?
The settlement agreement includes $10,000 in individual compensation for all persons who attended an Indian Residential School as a day scholar during the day, but did not sleep there overnight.
What happened on September 30 Canada?
September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday to recognize the tragic loss and the lasting effects of Canada’s history and the Residential School system. This date was chosen to align with Orange Shirt Day.
What happened in the residential schools in Canada?
The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages. Children were severely punished if these, among other, strict rules were broken.
Who was the girl that wore the orange shirt?
Webstad recounted her first day of residential schooling at six years old, when she was stripped of her clothes, including the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her, which was never returned. The orange shirt now symbolizes how the residential school system took away the indigenous identity of its students.
Why does orange represent Indigenous?
Orange Shirt Day was inspired by Phyllis’s story and launched in 2013. Its goal is to educate people about residential schools in Canada and to honour and remember the experiences and loss of the First Nation, Inuit and Métis children who were stolen from their families and placed in these schools.
Is Orange Shirt Day in the USA?
Orange Shirt Day, also called National Day for Truth and Reconciliation or National Day of Remembrance, is observed yearly on September 30 in Canada and the United States.
Why are residential schools wearing orange shirts?
This orange shirt taken from one child, is a symbol of the many losses experienced by thousands of students, and their families and communities, over several generations including: loss of family, language, culture, freedom, parenting, self-esteem and worth and painful experiences of abuse and neglect.
What was the last residential school in Canada?
The last federally-funded residential school, Kivalliq Hall in Rankin Inlet, closed in 1997. Schools operated in every province and territory with the exception of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
When did National day for Truth and Reconciliation start?
In June 2021, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-5 to name September 30 as a federal statutory day. It is observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This directly responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #80.