This year, Canada is holding its third statutory holiday observation of Orange Shirt Day to commemorate the missing and murdered children from residential schools and honor the healing journeys of residential school survivors.

Orange Shirt Day originates from the story of Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation. This day of remembrance is now commonly observed in the United States as well in remembrance of survivors of the boarding school system that also took place as a means of erasure and assimilation tactics against Indigenous Peoples in the country. “Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake in the spring of 2013.  It grew out of Phyllis’s account of losing her shiny new orange shirt on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually.” (Orange Shirt Day)

Cultural Survival joins First Nations in Canada and Native communities in the United States in mourning the deaths and abuse of generations of Indigenous children at residential and boarding schools, as well as honoring their stories and the healing of survivors. We join in collective calls to action — the implementation of all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, and the operationalization of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, particularly Article 7, which states: “Indigenous Peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group.” Cultural Survival also joins in the calls asking Pope Francis to commit resources for justice, reconciliation, healing initiatives, and for the return of Indigenous lands.

Today and every day, we encourage you to learn whose lands you reside on, learn local Indigenous histories, support and resource Indigenous leadership and organizations, buy from Indigenous business owners and artists, and share what you have learned with your communities and networks.