Today is still Orange Shirt Day
By Medicine Hat News on September 30, 2021.
Before it was declared Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30 was known as Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day began as a way for Canadians to acknowledge and openly discuss residential schools and the lasting impact they had on Canada’s Indigenous community. The orange shirt is a tribute to author and residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who, when giving an address about the residential school experience in 2013, recounted that on her first day in residential school her new orange shirt, a gift from her grandmother, was removed from her possession. The orange shirt has since become a symbol of support for survivors and a means of encouraging open discussions about reconciliation. Both the Medicine Hat Public School Division and Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education will be partaking in the event. Community members are also encouraged to wear orange today. 6-5
