Orange for Truth & Reconciliation

In Native American culture, the color orange is primarily associated with "sunshine," "regeneration," "hope," and "defiance," often representing the power of the sun and the ability to overcome darkness, particularly in the context of the painful history of residential schools where wearing orange shirts became a symbol of resilience and remembrance through "Orange Shirt Day.".

Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, was on Monday, September 30, 2024. It is a day to honor and remember the children who were forced into Indian residential schools, and to recognize the impact of these schools on Native American communities in the United States and Canada.

The day is inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) woman who survived a residential school. When she was six years old, her grandmother bought her a bright orange shirt for her first day of school. However, on her first day at the Mission School near Williams Lake, BC, her clothing, including the orange shirt, were taken from her.