Orange Shirt Day
Please note that the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo offices will be closed on September 30 in acknowledgement of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
MCA Outreach Activities
Each year, the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo hosts an Orange Shirt Day Barbeque as a way to raise proceeds that go towards our Indigenous and Rural Outreach programming, services and events.
Leading up to this event, the MCA also hosts an Orange Shirt Day contest in which students are able to submit their artistic designs themed around what Truth and Reconciliation and the “Every Child Matters” phrase means to them. The winner of this contest will have their design made into an Orange T-Shirt that is also available for purchase at the Orange Shirt Day Barbeque.
Orange Shirt Day was originally started as an Indigenous-led commemorative day in 2013 and was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, who is a residential school survivor.
This day was established as a way to promote awareness and education surrounding the Canadian Residential School system. It is a day to acknowledge the tragic legacy and severe impacts that the residential school system has and continues to have on Indigenous families and survivors today.
In 2021, the day officially became recognized in Canada as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, after the discovery of thousands of mass unmarked graves that were found across the country.
Phyllis Webstad is a Mètis Canadian of mixed Secwepemc and Irish/French ancestry. Born in Dog Creek, British Colombia, Phyllis lived with her grandmother.
In 1973, when Phyllis was 6 years old, she was brought to the Mission. Prior to her arrival, her grandmother had purchased a beautiful orange shirt for Phyllis to wear on her first day. It was bright, with a string-laced front, and it made Phyllis excited to go to school! However, when she arrived at the Mission, she was stripped of her clothes, including the orange shirt. She had never seen it again. Since then, she has stated that the color orange reminded her of when her beautiful orange shirt was taken, and how her feelings didn’t seem to matter in that moment.
In 2013, Phyllis shared her story of her orange shirt and since then, on September 30 each year, Orange Shirt Day has been held in acknowledgement of those affected by residential schools, and to promote the concept that “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a representation of stripping away culture, freedom and self-expression that was experienced by Indigenous children over generations through the residential school system.
There are many ways to show your support and take part in Orange Shirt Day.
- Wear orange in honour of the thousands of survivors of residential schools
- Listen and read the stories of Indigenous voices who have been affected by the residential school system, either as survivors, or their families.
- Join gatherings in acknowledgement of Truth and Reconciliation
- Participate in events, programs and workshops that celebrate and educate on Indigenous cultures.
- Share Indigenous-led resources.
