Orange Shirt Day

September 30th is Orange Shirt Day which, in the spirit of reconciliation, honours the survivors of Indian Residential Schools, and remembers the thousands of children who did not survive.  Attached is a poster to display in schools and classrooms.

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in the spring of 2013.  It grew out of Phyllis Webstad’s account of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the Mission School and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually.  The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year.  Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

For more information see:

• http://orangeshirtday.weebly.com/about.html

If you are interested in purchasing an orange shirt, limited quantities (including both adult and children's sizes) are available for purchase at:Native Northwest - Garfinkel Publications - 1640 W. 75th Ave., Vancouver B.C. Canada V6P 6G2 sales@nativenorthwest.com - p: 604-266-9044 - f: 604-266-9058