Sep 30: The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation / Orange Shirt Day

Friday September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation / Orange Shirt Day.

September 30 has been known by the Indigenous community as Orange Shirt Day since 2013. In June 2021 the government of Canada finally passed Bill C-5 to make September 30th a statutory holiday. It is a day to recognize the tragic history and long-standing effects of residential schools. It is a day to engage in discussions about the harms that have occurred to Indigenous Peoples and to affirm that the lives of the Survivors and those who did not come home matter - Every Child Matters. This day fulfills the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call-to-Action #80 and serves as a day of remembrance, reflection, action and learning.

Truth and Reconciliation Call-to-Action #80: We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.  

Here are some ways that you can honour Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation:   

Our thanks to Cheryl Aro, chair of the Indigenous Circle, for writing this message on behalf of all of us at the School of Social Work.

 

UVic Orange Shirt 2022 DesignUVic orange t-shirt design. Artist: Carey Newman Hayalthkin’geme (Kwakwaka'wakw/Coast Salish)