- by Abbey Blokland

Orange Shirt Day is a Canadian non-profit organization that began at Williams lake, BC in 2013 after over a century of culture genocide occurrences in residential schools.

Children were taken from their homes around this time of year to residential schools that stripped kids of their indigenous language and culture. They would then educate them with the English language and Christian beliefs.

These schools resorted to unnecessary behaviors when children spoke their indigenous language. They beat them, forced them to work to help raise money for their school, and mentally, physically, and sexually abused the children.

From 1831-1996 150,000 kids attended residential schools while 6000 died and were buried without the school informing their parents and 80,000 survivors are still alive now.

This organization strives to create awareness for the families, students, and communities that residential schools have affected. They also want to create awareness for the “Every Child Matters” motto to show support to the lost lives of children.

Throughout this week, schools in the area take part by wearing an orange shirt. Events across Canada will be held in each province during this time to get the first nations, local government, schools, and communities to come together.

They would like to take some of your time to educate you and discuss the legacy residential schools have left behind.

One story started this whole organization, and that story is Phyllis’s. The full story can be read on the orange shirt day website.

Phyllis started school when she was six years old and ended with 7 years of education. She shared her story to help others.

An orange shirt is worn today when Phyllis got stripped of one on her first day of school. This symbolizes how the residential schools stripped the indigenous identity from students.

The organization have many achievements like helping and telling the stories of other residential school survivors, but they also made an Orange Shirt Day textbook for schools and families to be informed about past events.

Over the years, the government realized how badly residential schools were treating kids and the last one closed in 1996.

The orange shirt day organization has a website and Facebook page you can visit to learn more.