Wear your orange shirt on September 30 for Orange Shirt Day!
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.
In the lead-up to those first Reunion events in 2013, former student and spokesperson Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl.
The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30 was created as a result of her account, and opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of residential schools. The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes and sent 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. It is 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.
The Mawi’omi Indigenous Student Centre invites the UPEI community to help us celebrate Orange Shirt Day on Wednesday, September 30, 2020:
- Wear an orange shirt to show the Indigenous community, and youth around the world, that EVERY CHILD MATTERS. Take a picture of you donning your orange shirt and share it with the Mawi’omi Facebook Page!
- At 1:00 pm, join Elder Judy Clark for her weekly check-in session, “Taliaq?! What’s Up?!, online or in person (we can have up to five (5) students attend in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions). Come chat with Elder Judy, hear from fellow students, and connect with others.
- At 2:00 pm, Elder Julie Pellissier-Lush will read some special pieces of her written work to help us be mindful and take note of what is important. Weather permitting, we will gather outside at the amphitheatre located adjacent to the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre to hear Julie’s readings. This session will be recorded and posted to the Mawi’omi Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.
