BY: JASLEEN KAMBO
On September 30th, we remember the victims of the Residential school system. It’s a day in which we wear an orange shirt, to stand in solidarity with the Indigenous community and the victims of this system. September 30th falls upon the time when the Indigenous children were taken from their families and dropped off at the residential schools.
The Orange T-Shirt Day movement began when Phyllis Webstad, wore an orange shirt to her first day at a residential school in 1973, B.C. When arriving at school, she was forced to strip and change into the school uniform. Phyllis mentioned the orange colour reminded her of her experiences at her school. In wearing the orange shirts, we show recognition to the survivors of the residential schools, along with showing the spirit of healing and reconciliation.
As we take a long and hard look at how this year has gone for the Indigenous families across Canada, we can’t possibly imagine the horrors they have gone through after their children were dug up from the unmarked, mass graves. These very children, who were forced from their homes, forced to learn an entirely different culture and disconnect from their own, deserved better.
On September 30, let us all wear orange, let us all honour the survivors and those who didn’t. Let us, in spirit, heal and rectify, and recognize the experiences of the children.