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On September 30, wear an orange shirt to say that Every Child Matters

Description
Moderator Carmen Lansdowne urges us to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, on September 30. This is a day to reflect, pray, learn, and to honour survivors, their families, and the communities affected by Indian Residential Schools and those who operated them. For non-Indigenous Christians in particular, this is a time to reflect on their role in colonialism and the ongoing responsibility to make reparations.

Orange Shirt Day is a call by Indigenous people to honour residential school survivors, their families, and their communities, as well as all the children who did not come home from the institutions.

The United Church of Canada observes the Sunday before September 30 as Orange Shirt Sunday.

Indigenous communities across Turtle Island continue to share the truth they have always known: that many of the children who never returned home remain on the grounds of those institutions in unmarked burial sites. These communities are now seeking to honour the missing children.

On Orange Shirt Day we also observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For non-Indigenous Christians in particular, this is a time to reflect on their role in colonialism and the ongoing responsibility to make reparations.

Why Orange?

Phyllis Jack Webstad is a Northern Secwepemc author, activist and Founder and Ambassador of the Orange Shirt Society. She is a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’em First Nation who went to St. Joseph Mission Residential School. On her first day of school, Phyllis wore an orange shirt that her grandmother had given her. It was immediately taken away, and that marked the beginning of Phyllis’s long separation from her family and community, a separation caused by actions of the church and federal government.

Orange Shirt Day is a time for us all to remember those events and their ongoing impact. Here are some ways to mark the day.

Orange Shirt Day Activities

Sunday, September 28: Orange Shirt Sunday

Mark Orange Shirt Sunday in your community of faith!

  • For children’s time, read and reflect on Phyllis Webstad’s book, The Orange Shirt Story (widely available). NB: Please do not record and post these readings on the internet.
  • Check out the Orange Shirt Sunday worship page for prayers written for Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
  • Honour the children with a gift or special offering to the Healing Fund, which supports initiatives for survivors of the residential school system and its ongoing intergenerational impacts.
  • Whether your community of faith is meeting in person, online, or both, please ask people to wear orange for a community picture. It could be a group photo, a Zoom call screenshot, or a photo collage. Share your photos on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media (include the hashtags #OrangeShirtDay, #EveryChildMatters, and #UCCan).
  • Watch and share the Moderator's Orange Shirt Day message.

Tuesday, September 30

Wear an orange shirt on September 30. This lets others know that you acknowledge the harmful legacy that residential schools had and continue to have on those who attended, their families, communities, and nation. Wearing an orange shirt tells everyone that you believe Every Child Matters and that you want to contribute to a future that values all Indigenous peoples.

Join in the Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event on Parliament Hill. This 90-minute program is a united effort of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Algonquin Nation, APTN, and CBC/Radio-Canada. It begins at 3:00 PM ET and all are invited. Not near Ottawa? It will also be broadcast live on APTN and on YouTube.