Orange Shirt Day 2022

Leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30, the University of Victoria will be hosting several public events to honour and support the children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. UVic is committed to advancing truth, respect, reconciliation and mutual understanding with all Indigenous peoples and communities.

These events will be held as a time to pause, reflect and honour those who attended residential schools and acknowledge the lasting impacts that are felt to this day. They will provide space for open and truthful dialogue and facilitate reflection on how we can move forward together in reconciliation.

Upcoming events include:

Sept. 27 - University Librarian Lecture

Sept. 28 - Blanket Exercise

Sept. 29 - Orange Shirt Day event in the Quad, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (student support in the First Peoples House Ceremonial Hall) 

Students, staff and faculty are invited to wear their orange shirts and gather in the UVic Quad on Sept. 29 in support of this year’s theme of Indigenous resurgence. For us at the offices of Vice-President Indigenous and Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement, resurgence means to reclaim, regenerate and reconnect one’s relationship with Indigenous homelands, culture and community. Resurgence is a process rooted in the articulation and exercise of inherent rights of Indigenous peoples, to practice and ’live’ self-determination and to enjoy all rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in their/our homelands. 

“Maintaining and strengthening connection to our lands, languages and cultures connects us to those that have walked before us and those that will walk after,” says Ry Moran, co-chair of this year’s Orange Shirt Day committee. “Resurgence is an expression of our inherent rights and is a rejection of the processes of colonization that created so much harm.”

 Orange Shirt Day events will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 29 with the lighting of the Sacred Fire, a territorial acknowledgement and Coast Salish cultural protocol. This fire will burn during the day until 3 p.m. as we listen to stories from residential school survivors, witness reflections, and closing remarks and closing prayer. During this event we also want to acknowledge the good work that is happening on campus through various Indigenous initiatives as well as steps folks are taking to decolonize their processes and departments. Everyone is encouraged to come together in the Quad.

Take action:

• Attend events on campus
• Wear an orange shirt, orange shirt day pin or purchase them at the UVic Bookstore
  • Orange Shirt Day t-shirts with Carey Newman’s new heart and hands design are available at the UVic Bookstore for $25. Profits from the sales will go to the Elders Engagement Fund, Witness Blanket Project and Orange Shirt Society. 
  • You can also donate to any of these charities without having to purchase a t-shirt.
• Read a book, watch a film or listen to music about/by Indigenous people. Resources are available at the UVic libraries.
• Learn about the history and ongoing impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples and cultures
• Follow and support Indigenous creators, business owners, artists and musicians
• Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/ChMBtvyO6FJ/
• Read: “Everyday Indigenous resurgence during COVID-19: a social media situation” report by Jeff Corntassel, Robynne Edgar, Renée Monchalin and Carey Newman: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1177180120968156