Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day is a day of remembrance observed in Dokis First Nation.

In Anishinabek News

• October 2017: The event was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose clothing was taken from her at a mission school. The city of North Bay proclaimed September 30 as an official day to honour children taken to Residential Schools.
• October 2017: The 2017 walk in Thunder Bay followed a route from Paterson Park to the former site of St. Joseph's Residential School. The movement was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose orange shirt was taken away on her first day at residential school.
• October 2018: The event is held annually on September 30 to reflect on the history and effects of the Indian Residential School system. The date was chosen because September was the month children were historically removed from their homes by the RCMP. The 2018 events marked the fifth year the day was acknowledged across Canada.
• October 2019: The event is held in the autumn to mark the time of year when government agents historically removed children from their families. The day is inspired by the experience of Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was confiscated on her first day at a residential school in 1976.
• November 2019: An event for this day was held at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Secondary School in September 2019. The gathering included a screening of the video Cultural Mindfulness and a presentation on the book I Am Not A Number.
• November 2019: Lily Armstrong began beading orange shirt pins for awareness after her husband needed one for school. The artisan varies her beading patterns on these pins, using both straight and curved designs.
• November 2020: The event is held annually on September 30 to show support for those impacted by residential schools. Participants wear orange shirts to acknowledge the experiences of Phyllis Webstad and other Indigenous children. The day serves as a reminder of the 150,000 children who were forced to attend residential schools.
• November 2020: In 2020, UNICEF Canada released a video featuring Reta Red Sky Hamlin on this day to highlight Indigenous land-based responses to the pandemic.
• November 2020: Orange Shirt Day was first started in 2013 in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Mitch Gegwetch sold specialized shirts to raise money for the Orange Shirt Society in honour of this day.
• July 2021: An opening ceremony for the new flag plaza in Sarnia was planned to be held in conjunction with this event in September 2021.
• September 2021: Paramedics in the Nipissing District wore orange epaulettes to show support for this day in 2021.
• September 2021: This grassroots movement coincides with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and honours children who survived or died at Indian Residential Schools. The date was chosen because it represents the time of year when children were historically removed from their homes to attend residential schools. All people in Canada are encouraged to wear orange on this day to show solidarity with Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.
• September 2021: This day is observed to affirm that every child matters. The public is encouraged to wear orange shirts to show support for survivors of Indian Residential Schools.
• October 2021: Orange Shirt Day was established to bring awareness to the individual and community impacts of the Indian Residential Schools system.
• October 2021: The event was a focal point for cultural mindfulness training provided to the North Bay Battalion in 2021. It is used as an opportunity to teach Canadian history and provide a greater understanding of Anishinaabe people.
• October 2021: The event was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, who had her orange shirt taken away at a residential school. As of October 2021, people across Thunder Bay wore orange shirts to show support for the day.
• November 2021: Gatherings are held at the Mt. Elgin Industrial Institute – Indian Residential School Monument on this day to reflect on the legacy of residential schools.
• February 2022: The event was started by Phyllis Webstad and is based on her personal Indian Residential School story. In February 2022, supporters of the Freedom Convoy were criticized for trying to co-opt the event to promote their own rhetoric.
• February 2022: Orange Shirt Day was created by Phyllis Webstad to recognize the impacts of the residential school system.
• March 2022: The event began in 2013 in Williams Lake to support reconciliation and honor survivors of Residential Schools. An annual contest allows students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to submit designs for the official shirt. The 2022 event featured a design by Geraldine Catalbas that symbolizes the triumph and loss of Indigenous children.
• June 2022: The event is associated with wearing orange to support survivors of Indian Residential Schools. The Anishinabek Nation promoted this initiative as a way to honour ancestors and foster long-term healing.
• September 2022: The day uses the slogan Every Child Matters to recognize the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. As of September 2022, the Niagara Falls Illumination Committee has designated the date to feature orange lights and fireworks. The event was inspired by the childhood story of Phyllis Webstad.
• September 2022: The event was created to honour survivors of Indian Residential Schools and their families while remembering children who did not return home. It serves as a conversation starter in response to a challenge by Murray Sinclair to keep the dialogue about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada active. The movement was inspired by the childhood experience of Phyllis Webstad at an Indian Residential School in 1973.
• October 2022: The day was observed alongside the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation during the 2022 run in Thunder Bay.
• October 2022: A ceremony held on September 30, 2017, served as a pivotal moment for Dawn Cheryl Hill to learn about her mother's past. The 2017 event in Brantford included speeches from dignitaries and stories from survivors of the Mush Hole.
• March 2023: One of the Corn Husk dolls was created specifically to represent children and youth for this day.
• February 2026: A 2020 program for this event featured a drive-in screening of the film Indian Horse at Boomer's Drive-In Theatre. The program was a collaboration between the City of Thunder Bay Indigenous Relations and Inclusion Office, Thunder Bay Public Library, and Boomer's Drive-In Theatre.
• March 2026: Caitlin Wemigwans noted that non-Indigenous consumers often only seek out Indigenous clothing during this specific event. The event is mentioned as a time when there is a temporary increase in demand for Indigenous-designed apparel.
• September 2026: The movement began in 2013 to acknowledge the history of Residential Schools and honour children removed from their families. In 2026, the first class of students to participate in the event every year from kindergarten to graduation completed high school in British Columbia. The day is observed every September 30 and has been recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation since 2021.
• September 2026: The initiative was co-founded by Phyllis Webstad.
• September 2026: The event is observed alongside the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour survivors of the Indian Residential School system.
• October 2026: In 2026, Dokis First Nation marked the occasion with a Mini Pow Wow focused on celebration and healing rather than mourning. The day has traditionally been observed in Dokis First Nation with a community march and lunch.