Orange Shirt Day recognizes every child matters, fights to end racism

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Wednesday is Orange Shirt Day in Canada, a day to remember that every child matters and raise awareness about the history of residential schools.

Started in 2013 by Phyllis Webstad — a survivor of the residential school system — the day is named after an experience she had on her first day of school at the age of six in Williams Lake.

She arrived wearing a new orange shirt her grandmother got her, but school staff made her take it off.

“And I never saw it again,” she says in a video. “I was no longer excited to go to school. I wanted to home to granny, I had to stay there for 300 sleeps.”

Webstad, of Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap), is from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek), near Williams Lake.

As we watch in disbelief at happenings south of the border, #OrangeShirtDay is a reminder we have so much work to do ourselves. Learning about and recognizing our dark and ugly past in how we have treated Indigenous people is only a first step. We must do better. pic.twitter.com/VnRVggmjcF

— Charmaine de Silva (@char_des) September 30, 2020

She started Orange Shirt Day to pass along the message that every child matters — no matter their background — to fight racism and bullying, and raise awareness of the horrors of residential schools and colonialism.

“No matter how much all of us little kids cried, it didn’t matter. No one listened to us. Our feelings didn’t matter. We didn’t matter,” Webstad says.

Orange Shirt Day takes place annually on Sept. 30 — the day many Indigenous children were forced to leave their homes and families.

Webstad was the third generation of her family to attend residential schools.

I will wear orange.

It’s #OrangeShirtDay and especially today I’m remembering the #FirstNations children who survived residential schools, and those who didn’t make it. We all must listen, understand our country’s past, and work for change.#EveryChildMatters. pic.twitter.com/8lCdeUR6dx

— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) September 30, 2020

“Today is a day to honour and remember residential school survivors and their families. Every child matters, even if you are an adult,” she says.

“We must also remember those children who never made it and are no longer with us. Today is a day for survivors to tell their storeis and for us to listen with open hearts.”

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The BC NDP says Orange Shirt Day recognizes the importance of raising awareness about the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of Indian Residential Schools.

“We all share the responsibility of reconciliation,” says NDP Leader John Horgan, seeking re-election in the Oct. 24 provincial election.

“Today we recognize and name the harmful legacy of residential schools and systemic racism to Indigenous peoples, and honour the resilience of survivors and communities. Today we wear orange to show our commitment to meaningful reconciliation. Because every child matters.”

Last year, B.C. became the first province in Canada to pass legislation to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The province established a long-term agreement to guarantee 25 years of revenue sharing with First Nations, and is the first and only province to fund on-reserve housing.

B.C. Green leader Sonia Furstenau says in a release that Orange Shirt Day is a time to acknowledge the past and current trauma, honour survivors, and mourn the lives of those who never made it home.

“Indigenous communities are still facing lasting impacts of traumatic experiences in the residential school system,” she says.

“Systemic racism is still prevalent in many parts of our society. Indigenous mothers are still being separated from their children in B.C.’s apprehension system. Despite the discontinuation of birth alerts, these deeply damaging actions are still taking place on behalf of the government.”

The B.C. Liberals did not issue a statement about Orange Shirt Day.

On Tuesday, the federal Liberal government revived its effort to create a new statutory holiday to commemorate the victims and survivors of Indigenous residential schools.

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault introduced legislation in the House of Commons today to establish Sept. 30 as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for federally regulated workers.