Orange Shirt Day Sept. 28

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in the spring of 2013.  It grew out of Phyllis' story of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually. 

The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes 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 also gives teachers time to plan events that will include children, as we want to ensure that we are passing the story and learning on to the next generations.

Orange Shirt Day is also 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.

http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

Here at EMDYS we support Orange Shirt Day and what it stands for. We will wear our shirts in solidarity with others across our Nation and educate our community WHY we do so. We remember those whose lives were seriously impacted or even lost due to Residential School philosophy . We recognize the continued impact of Residential Schools on the Indigenous Families, Language, Identity, Culture and Values and the work that needs to be done to reconcile this past in hopes of building a better future for all children.  
If you are interested in learning more about the impact of Residential Schools, we encourage you to go to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's website at

 http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=513