Orange Shirts: A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30, 2021 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Also known as Orange Shirt Day, it is a day to honor the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities.
In recent months we have been confronted with the reality of our Nation’s painful past with the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools in Canada. There is shock, grief, outrage, and disbelief. But there is also recognition that we must face this history. Reconciliation requires awareness of the past; acknowledgement of the harms done; atonement and action to change perceptions and behaviors.
On September 30th I invite you to wear an orange shirt, attend a cultural commemorative event, honor those lost children and survivors, learn more about the residential school legacy, listen to the stories of our Indigenous sisters and brothers. Reconciliation requires all of us.
