Drummers, singers and supporters gathered for Orange Shirt Day 2017 on Sept. 29 in the Campus Court.

Photos from 2017

Friday, Sept. 29

What it is:

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event first held in spring 2013 in Williams Lake, BC.

An annual event held in recognition of the harm done by the the residential school system, Orange Shirt Day was inspired by School of Business and Economics alum Phyllis Webstad‘s story. It is an opportunity for residential school Survivors, local government members, Aboriginal youth, students, faculty and staff to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. “Every child matters,” is the key message. 

The day itself is on Sept. 30 each year to represent the season in which children were first taken from their homes and put into residential schools. However, that back-to-school time also signifies new beginnings, and it is in that way celebratory.

So that all members of the TRU community can attend, the event will be celebrated on campus on Friday, Sept. 29. 

Reasons to attend:

• To express your support of Aboriginal staff, faculty and approximately 1,600 Aboriginal students at TRU
• To talk with others about what the intercultural process of indigenization can mean for current and future generations
• To be a part of the transformation of the residential schools Survivors’ experience into a positive message
• To participate in unison and listen for understanding about others’ experiences
• To come together and, in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), promote a spirit of reconciliation and hope
• For those affected by the residential schools, to have a place from which to begin the healing process
• For the opening prayer, welcome from Paul Michel and Alan Shaver, song, words from Elders, round dance and more

Please meet us at Cplul’kw’ten this Friday at 11 a.m. and walk to the blue outdoor basketball courts for the ceremony.

See the event schedule and background here and the Orange Shirt Day Facebook page.