This year, Orange Shirt Day coincides with Canada’s first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For a limited time, specially designed orange shirts will be available for pre-order through the USask Bookstore to help affirm our commitment that Every Child Matters.
Special thanks to local Indigenous artist Kevin Peeace who generously painted the original design for this year’s shirt. Proceeds from the sales of these shirts will be directed toward a Spring 2022 sequel to the Gathering for miyomahcihowin and the Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle*.
To order a shirt through the USask Bookstore, two options are available:
- Orders by individuals: https://shop.usask.ca/orange-shirt-day
- Approved group/department orders by CFOAPAL: https://bookstore.usask.ca/documents/Orange-Shirt-Day-Pre-Order.php
NOTE: USask Orange Shirt Day shirts will be available for pre-order until Monday, August 30 to ensure delivery before Sept. 30.
There are also additional ways to get involved with Orange Shirt Day:
- Visit http://www.orangeshirtday.org/to learn about the history of Orange Shirt Day — the annual event inspired by Phyllis Webstad's personal experience of having her new orange shirt taken away on her first day in the Canadian residential school system.
- Design your own shirt with the phrase “Every Child Matters” or find an orange bandana, scarf or button to design and wear on Sept. 30.
- Share this message or the links to the official Orange Shirt Day website with others.
- Post an image of yourself and/or your friends and colleagues to social media with the hashtag #EveryChildMatters and/or #OrangeShirtDay.
- Follow https://www.facebook.com/orangeshirtdayeverychildmatters/on Facebook.
- Seek out or share stories of the residential school system with others (such as the personal stories shared on https://youtu.be/vdR9HcmiXLA or the ““Residential Schools in Canada Timeline” located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFgNI1lfe0A).
The University of Saskatchewan Plan 2025 recognizes that, “as a community, we have a shared responsibility to honour and join in the journey of reconciliation” and the truth that “residential schooling exploited education as a tool to destroy identity.”
Together, we can come together in the spirit of reconciliation, work toward rebuilding relationships, and move forward in a good way by sharing the truth of the residential school system.
*Saskatoon Residential School Survivors Circle members survived Canada’s darkest era. Since 2015, these survivors have been working together to make life living off reserve as comfortable as possible for themselves and their grandchildren. The main objective of the group is to provide opportunities and activities that will enhance the quality of life for the members. The circle members provide guidance and Indigenous perspective to many organizations and groups. The survivors can and do provide important firsthand knowledge to the education system and share their knowledge of Indigenous ways of life.