Orange
Shirt Day
September 30th
What is Orange Shirt Day?
Orange Shirt Day is a day to honor and remember Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent to residential and boarding schools in Canada and the U.S. It's also a time to learn about the history and impact of those schools.
What are residential schools?
Residential Schools began in the 1860s and continued through the late 1990s, with the last Residential School closing in Saskatchewan in 1996.
What are residential schools?
During this time, over 150,000 Indigenous children were sent to Residential Schools.
Residential Schools were harmful to Indigenous children. Children were taken from their families and were not taken care of.
What are residential schools?
Children were not allowed to practice speaking their own language and were not allowed to express their culture, values, or traditions.
Why September 30th?
September 30th is around the time of year that Indigenous children were taken to residential schools.
It is also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Why we wear orange
Orange Shirt Day is based on a true story told by Phillis Webstad about having her new orange shirt taken from her on the first day of residential school. She was not allowed to keep or wear her own clothing.
Lower Grade Level Video
Upper Grade Level Video
Reflection:
What does it mean when we say “every child matters”
How can we make each other feel mattered and important?
What is the significance of the orange shirt?