Orange Shirt Day is an act of commemoration of the ‘Indian Residential School’ children both the survivors and those that were lost. The acknowledgement of the ‘Indian Residential School’ legacy that occurred in North America from the 19th century to the end of the 20th century.
A limited number of orange shirts are available to be picked up outside the Diversity and Inclusion Lounge in the Student Center on Thursday September 30th. There will also be orange ribbons available as an alternative to orange shirts.
These government mandated and funded schools forced western society approach to education on Indigenous children ages 5-18 year olds. In the process removing the children from their family and community and using corporal punishment to impose ‘cultural genocide.’ Many children sought escape and some perished in these schools, as they were chronically underfunded and with little oversight lead to numerous reports of physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual abuses. To honor the stories of the survivors is to believe in the motto “Every Child Matters,” where every individual Indigenous child that has suffered from government mandated schooling be respected and honored.
One survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad shared how at age six her grandmother bought her an orange shirt to proudly wear as she excitedly entered St. Joseph Mission School. On day one the staff stripped her of her orange shirt and her Indigenous identity as she became another student in ‘Indian Residential School’ system.
Recently, many stories of the survivors are leading to the grim discoveries of unmarked and unidentified student graves on the grounds of former ‘Indian Residential Schools.’ Current efforts have uncovered over 6,000 graves with many hundreds of former schools yet to be searched. Recently in June, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland commissioned a report to inquiry into the extent and depth that the former ‘federal Indian Residential Schools,’ had on the Indigenous people of the United States. It is expected many more graves and grim findings will be made public.
If you wish to honor and respect the Indigenous children that had suffered from the ‘Indian Residential Schools,’ please take the time to learn the stories from survivors and explore resources that chronicle this dark chapter in North American history of education. Also you can show support on September 30th by wearing an orange shirt, pin or ribbon.
Resources
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition – https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ Orange Shirt Day – https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund – https://downiewenjack.ca/
Secretary Haaland Announces Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative –
Unseen Tears (2009) Film on Western NY Boarding School – https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/unseen-tears 2009/