There was a dark time in our country’s history, but on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Canadians are paying tribute to the First Nations children who were ripped from their homes and forced to enroll in Indian Residential Schools.
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In an effort to promote healing and reconciliation, Canadians are wearing bright orange shirts on #OrangeShirtDay.
In support of residential school survivors, coming together in the spirit of reconciliation: wear orange today. #orangeshirtday
— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) September 30, 2015
https://twitter.com/_chloe06_/status/649222879884779520
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People showed off their bold wardrobes via Twitter to encourage others to do the same.
To all those who call me an Apple… today I'm an Orange! Lol.
Much respect to rez school survivors!#OrangeShirtDay pic.twitter.com/OZNgCvs7yO
— Michael Hutchinson (@Mike_Hutchins0n) September 30, 2015
https://twitter.com/allie4wpgcentre/status/649212968064778241
A few of the APTN staff who honoured Residential School survivors by wearing orange. #orangeshirtday pic.twitter.com/zMd4YsNLiY
— APTN (@APTN) September 30, 2015
For #orangeshirtday, UofM faculty of nursing are pledging to provide equal care for all in the health field. #cbcmb pic.twitter.com/xwTKQMiU95
— Jillian Taylor (@JillianLTaylor) September 30, 2015
Vanessa McKay, a student at St. James Collegiate, is just one of many pupils at schools across the country who have banded together to raise awareness by wearing orange. She told CBC News about her family’s history.
“I don’t know my full culture, I don’t know my native language. It was something that was stopped with my great-grandmother,” she explained.
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“I would come home and talk to my parents about it and details would slowly come out over time,” McKay continued. “It’s not really something that’s brought up at family dinners.”
But it should. This is something that needs to be discussed, and Twitter users have urged parents to educate their children about the forced enrollment and its goal of removing the children from their culture and families in order to assimilate them into the predominant Canadian culture at the time.
My son and our family are honouring Residential School Survivors on #orangeshirtday Will you? http://t.co/VcHU61xG81 pic.twitter.com/jslEnfk1mg
— Susanna Kearsley (@SusannaKearsley) September 30, 2015
My 6 year old just learned a bit about residential schools -the first of many conversations. Tomorrow is #OrangeShirtDay
— Rola Fraser (@RolaFraser) September 29, 2015
It's #orangeshirtday Wear orange and talk about what this day means with your kids. pic.twitter.com/IxkRfEGPbS
— Carey Marsden (@MarsdenTweets) September 30, 2015
The day also serves as a reminder about why it’s so important to remember the devastation caused by forcing people of other cultures to assimilate.
Are you wearing orange? It's #orangeshirtday to honour residential school survivors & talk about impact and reconciliation. #cbcmb
— Heather Wells (@HeatherWellsCBC) September 30, 2015
Will you be wearing your orange shirt today? Let us know, and share your thoughts about #OrangeShirtDay in the comments below.
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