Having just turned 6 years old, Phyllis Webstad remembers picking out a shiny orange shirt with her grandmother to go to the Mission school. “It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting,” she recalled, “just like I felt to be going to school!”
When she arrived at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in 1973, they stripped her and took away her new orange shirt, as well as the rest of her clothes. She never had the chance to wear it again, and they never returned it. Now, the colour orange reminds her of this moment, “how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing.” And she was not the only child to experience this.
Both her grandmother and mother attended residential school for 10 years. Her own healing journey began when she was 27 and went to a treatment centre. She came to realize that first day at the Mission school embedded in her “the feeling of worthlessness and insignificance,” that impacted her life for many years.
Like Webstad, Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins experienced first-hand the impacts of the system and understood the ongoing intergenerational consequences. He sought to bring First Nations and non-First Nations people together to reconcile the legacy of the residential school system. In May 2013, his vision was brought to life in the form of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events. Former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations came together, along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region. The events commemorated the residential school experience, honoured the healing of the survivors and their families, and committed to continuing the reconciliation process. It was here that Webstad, a spokesperson for the Reunion group, told her story of the orange shirt.
The annual Orange Shirt Day was born. As a day that initiates a global conversation about residential schools, September 30th was chosen with intention. Not only does the date represent the time of year when children were taken from their homes, it sets the tone for the upcoming school year, urging for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies.
Webstad is now the Executive Director of the Orange Shirt Society and shares her story across the country, raising awareness of the repercussions of residential schools. “I am honored to be able to tell my story so that others may benefit and understand, and maybe other survivors will feel comfortable enough to share their stories,” she writes.
Orange Shirt Day continues to be “an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind,” one that invites all Canadians to engage with and creates bridges for reconciliation. It affirms that Every Child Matters, no matter their nationality, whether in the past, the present and the future.
Canadians are encouraged to wear orange shirts in support of the movement. Beyond that, there are events across the country to continue the discussion and reconciliation. The events continue this year virtually. You can find our list of some of the events happening today below:
Orange Shirt Day Events Across Canada
- Orange Shirt Day Q&A with Phyllis Webstad, Medicine Wheel Education & Orange Shirt Society, 11 AM PDT
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, University of Manitoba, 11 AM CST
- University of Victoria, BC, Noon PDT
- On the Path to Reconciliation, Manitoba, 3 PM EDT
- University of Toronto, 1 PM EDT
- University of Calgary (Community Panel: Intergenerational Impact of Residential Schools, Noon MDT; Indian Horse Film Screening, 6:30 MDT)
- More virtual events for Orange Shirt Day across Canada can be found here: https://www.orangeshirtday.org/2020-events.html
“On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it.”
Resources
Learn more about Orange Shirt Day and the legacy of residential schools in Canada here:
- Orange Shirt Society, formed by the founders of Orange Shirt Day
- St. Joseph’s Residential School Stories (video)
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Resources
- Childhood Denied – The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Legacy of Hope Foundation – Where Are They Now?
- Truth & Reconciliation – Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada
- Why Our Kids Need to Learn About Residential Schools – Macleans
- A history of residential schools in Canada – CBC
- History of Residential Schools – Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
- Residential Schools – The Canadian Encyclopedia
