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Orange Shirt Day sheds light on dark history of Canada含羞草研究社檚 residential schools

Sept. 30 aims to remember the suffering of thousands of First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit children

Clad in orange T-shirts, students across the country will spend their Mondays learning about the intergenerational harm done to children at Canada含羞草研究社檚 residential schools.

Sept. 30 marks the seventh annual Orange Shirt Day, started by Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor and Stswecem含羞草研究社檆 Xgat含羞草研究社檛em from Williams Lake. The national day of remembrance refers to one of her first memories at St. Joseph含羞草研究社檚 Mission Residential School in B.C.含羞草研究社檚 central Interior in the 1970s, when staff took away her orange shirt, bought especially for school, when she was six years old.

含羞草研究社淭he colour orange has always reminded me of that [incident] and how my feelings didn含羞草研究社檛 matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing,含羞草研究社 Webstad writes on the Orange Shirt Day website. 含羞草研究社淎ll of us little children were crying and no one cared.含羞草研究社

Her story has inspired many across the country and around the world to talk about the realities of residential schools and the wider historical marginalization of Indigenous peoples.

Thousands of First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit children were removed from their homes and forced to attend residential schools. The last one closed in 1996.

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Webstad spends her time sharing her story and her beliefs about reconciliation with young people, including at an elementary school in B.C.含羞草研究社檚 Fraser Valley earlier this month.

含羞草研究社淭he elementary (schools) are the hardest,含羞草研究社 she told the . 含羞草研究社淚 have to really watch what I say with the younger ones. With the older ones, I can tell them more, but with the younger ones, it含羞草研究社檚 really just surface stuff to introduce the topic.含羞草研究社

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This year含羞草研究社檚 Orange Shirt Day will also celebrate Bill C-369, a federal bill awaiting a second vote in the Senate to make Sept. 30 the . If passed, the last day of September will be a statutory holiday.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 the truth of the history of Canada,含羞草研究社 Webstad said of residential schools. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not just First Nation history, this is Canadian history. And Canadians that live in this country need to be aware of this dark past.含羞草研究社

含羞草研究社 with files from Grace Kennedy



ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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