Tomorrow, September 30, is Orange Shirt Day. On this day, we commemorate the residential school experience, witness the healing journey of survivors and their families, and commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.
Acknowledgement and understanding of the residential school experience is essential to providing culturally safe and humble care to Indigenous patients.
Orange Shirt Day was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) woman from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). When Phyllis was six years old, her grandmother bought her a new orange shirt to wear for her first at the Mission school. When she arrived at the Mission, she was stripped and had her clothes – including her new orange shirt – taken away from her. You can read more about Phyllis’ story on the Orange Shirt Day website or by watching this video.
Please join us in reading more about Orange Shirt Day and dedicating time to viewing the resources provided on the website.
Further cultural safety and humility resources can be found here.
