Orange Shirt Day is observed on September 30th to honor and raise awareness about the thousands of Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools in Canada. The day commemorates the traumatic experiences of these children, many of whom never returned home, and recognizes the ongoing impacts on generations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. The orange shirt symbolizes this history based on the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, a survivor whose new orange shirt was taken away from her on her first day at a residential school, representing the loss of identity and culture inflicted by the residential school system. Orange Shirt Day is a call for healing, reconciliation, and recognition that "Every Child Matters".
