The Communications office has been asked about Orange Shirt Day, which started in British Columbia and began to move across the land. Here is some background.
Inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her orange shirt taken away on her first day at Indian residential school, we uplift the voices of Survivors and invite all people in Canada to walk the path of truth & reconciliation together.
The Orange Shirt Society was established in 2015 to:
- Support Indian residential school reconciliation
- Create awareness of the individual, family, and community intergenerational impacts of Indian residential schools through Orange Shirt Society activities
- Create awareness of the concept of “Every Child Matters”
The Legacy of St. Joseph Mission Residential School
Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters 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.