It’s not about what you do on the day of National Truth and Reconciliation, it’s about all that you have done leading up to the day, all the research, all the reading and learning.  The discussions and discovering of TRUTHs about this country’s history.  The day you put on that orange shirt is the day you acknowledge that you have listened and learned.  

 

“I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973-1974.  I had just turned 6 years old.  I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve.  We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school.  I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt.  It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting - just like I felt to be going to school.  When we got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt.  I never wore it again.  I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me.  It was mine.  The colour orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing.  All of us little children were crying and no one cared…..”

These are the words of Phyllis Webstad, whose testimony inspired Orange Shirt Day, on September 30th of each year.

There are many, many stories.  All heart breaking. Children who went for only a year still remember and it still affects them today.  I know survivors who attended 11 years without ever once going home, without ever having a family member visit them.  I can’t even imagine what that might have been like.  

Learning About my Grandfather’s Story

My grandfather was one of those children.  His mother died giving birth to his baby brother, and the baby died too. His father didn’t know what to do or how to deal with his grief, so he took my grandfather at the age of 7 to the Mohawk Institute Indian residential school and never returned for him, not ever.  

Author Lorrie's grandparents, William and Lena Bomberry, taken in 1968.  [Source: Lorrie Gallant] 

My grandfather never shared his experience with me.  He passed away when I was a little girl, but I have spent my life getting to know what he might have felt through the stories of other survivors.  I discovered that there is no one story.  My heart and my empathy and understanding have grown over the years as I’ve listened to many survivors’ testimonies. I do what I can to honour every story; this is what remembrance is. 

If Phyllis had the courage to share her story with the world, and the story of one child can bring us to a place of greater compassion and understanding, then we need the courage to listen, to honour and to carry her story.  

I carry the story of my grandfather now and I am honoured to do this for him, and all that he suffered, and all the others that suffered too. 

From Truth to Understanding

Canada is approaching the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and even though some of us have learned about this history, or are just learning about this history, we are beginning to make a path of understanding.  

In addition to the publication of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reports in 2015, the recovery of children's remains in mass unmarked graves beginning in 2021 brought further public acknowledgment of the horrible realities of Canada's residential schools.

It’s not easy to hear these stories.  They make us feel uncomfortable.  They make us feel sad.  But they are important to know.

 

Resources for learning:

What it Means to Put an Orange Shirt On

It’s not about what you do on the day of National Truth and Reconciliation, it’s about all that you have done leading up to the day, all the research, all the reading and learning.  The discussions and discovering of TRUTHs about this country’s history.  The day you put on that orange shirt is the day you acknowledge that you have listened and learned.  

(Left) Shirt designed by Nyle Miigizi Johnston for Orange Shirt Day in support of Finding Our Power Together, an organization that supports Indigenous youth to thrive. (Right) An "Every Child Matters" shirt produced to support the Woodland Cultural Centre  [photo credit: Jasmine Wong]

It’s not  simply about putting on an orange shirt. It’s about knowing what the orange shirt represents.  Knowing all that we have done before we put on the shirt and all that we have chosen to do after we take the shirt off. That’s what matters! 

The concept of “Orange Shirt Day” comes from Phyllis Webstad, who is Secwépemc from Canoe Creek  First Nation, and a survivor of The Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, British Columbia. 

 Although the orange shirt is particular to Phyllis’ story, many Survivors and communities have adopted it as a symbol of all the things that were lost or stolen by residential schools. 

Taking Action

How can we bring others along on September 30^th?  What can we learn more about that leads up to this day?  How do we recognize the ongoing trauma caused by residential and day schools, and remember those who never returned home, survivors and their families.  

• There are many events that you can attend or volunteer at.  
• Create your own event that makes space for the voices of Indigenous Peoples to be heard.  
• Create a memorial that honours the past and carries your intentions of how we can do better in the future. 
• Stand with and beside. 
• Make posters, banners, listen to survivor testimony, educate yourself, bring awareness in your communities, create space and participate.

September 30^th should be a day that you participate in because you spent time learning.  It is also an opportunity to commit to the process of truth, reconciliation and justice with First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples all across Turtle Island.  Your actions toward truth and reconciliation can be micro (i.e. sharing with your family or close relations), mezzo (sharing and working with your community) or macro (working with governing systems to make change).  

Know that when you put on that orange shirt you are acknowledging what you have learned. You put the orange shirt on and stand with and beside survivors and their families. Know that when you put the orange shirt on you are making a commitment to never allow this to ever happen again.

 

“The road we travel is equal in importance to the destination we seek. There are no shortcuts. When it comes to truth and reconciliation we are forced to go the distance.”

“National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is one step on a long journey.” 

- Murray Sinclair, former Senator and Chief Commissioner to the TRC

 

Educators joined author Lorrie Gallant, spoken word artist Kahsenniyo Kick and educator Sherri Vansickle for a workshop on Indigenous resistance, resilience and resurgence in Toronto this summer. [source: Facing History and Ourselves]

 

Lessons and More for the Classroom

• This is a Moment to Remember, Honour and Take Action: Lessons to scaffold difficult emotional learning on the recovery of 215 children's remains on Kamloops residential school grounds

• Introduce students to residential school survivor Theodore Fontaine's Impact and Legacy:  Learn about the lasting impact and legacy that Elder, Chief and beloved friend Theodore Fontaine left for others

• Dos and Don'ts As you Plan for Orange Shirt Day:  Tips for you as you plan

• Five Teaching Ideas for Whole School Learning this Orange Shirt Day  Lesson ideas for K-12 classrooms, including resources and Theodore Fontaine's recorded testimony 

• Activities for Engaging Your Community on Orange Shirt Day  Teaching strategies to pair with popular resources for honouring survivors and those who did not survive the Residential School System.

• Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools (free digital classroom resource available in FR | EN)