Since 2013, Sept. 30 has been observed as Orange Shirt Day, a day to reflect on and learn about the impact of residential school systems in Canada. For more than 150 years, residential schools forcibly separated Indigenous children from their loved ones, their communities, and their cultures. Countless children survived abuse and neglect, and thousands of others tragically lost their lives.

Orange Shirt Day was named for a story shared by survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad, who recounted how her orange shirt was taken from her at residential school, a symbol of how the schools sought to strip away the identities of Indigenous children.

This is a day for honouring and uplifting residential school survivors and their families. This is also a day for settlers to reflect on how we can advance reconciliation in our own communities. In that spirit, please find a list resources and events below.

EVENTS

September 30, 2022
 | 9am - 2pm

Gathering on Orange Shirt Day 

Grandview Park, Vancouver

September 30, 2022 | 1pm - 2:30pm
Artist Talk with James Harry
Online

September 30, 2022
 | 1pm - 2:30pm

Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt Day
Begins at the amphitheatre adjacent to the Indian Residential School History & Dialogue Centre 
in UBC

September 30, 2022
 | 1pm - 3pm

Gathering with Nisga’a Ts’amiks Vancouver Society on Orange Shirt Day 

John Hendry Park, Vancouver

Sept. 30, 2022 | All Day
Weaving Our Story Toward Reconciliation with Priscilla Omulo
Online + Kinsmen Hall, 2175 Coquitlam Ave, Port Coquitlam

EXHIBITIONS

Ongoing
c̓əsnaʔəm: the City Before the City 

Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver

Ongoing through Oct. 15, 2022
Where are the Children? Healing the Impacts of the Residential Schools
Chilliwack Museum, 45820 Spadina Avenue, Chilliwack

RESOURCES

The ECU Library is currently displaying a collection of resources on Indigenous History in their reading room. This collection includes books, artists’ books and videos on Truth & Reconciliation; resistance to colonization and activism; art history; education; and a pamphlet outlining best practices in evaluating resources on Indigenous history. You can also find resources on Truth & Reconciliation in the Indigenous Topics Research Guide.

Read a statement from Brenda Crabtree and Gillian Siddall on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Read Brenda Crabtree’s short essay, What a Difference a Day Could Make, from 2021.

Read the reports and findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Learn more about Orange Shirt Day and Phyllis Webstad’s story.

If you wish to purchase an orange shirt, please ensure you are buying from an Indigenous creator. Vancouver Magazine compiled a list of designs created by local Indigenous artists, benefiting Indigenous communities and residential school survivors.

The National Film Board has put together a playlist of films on residential schools from their collection.