Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school. She was wearing a shiny orange t-shirt bought by her grandmother. It was taken from her as a six-year old girl and never returned.
The orange shirt is a symbol of what was taken and never returned. A symbol of reconciliation and remembrance, and it is from Phyllis that Orange Shirt Day takes its name.
September 30th was picked as the date for the annual event 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 is 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
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