Orange Shirt Day Opening and Reading of "Phyllis's Orange Shirt"
- Date
- September 30, 2020
- Time
- 12:45 PM EDT - 1:45 PM EDT
- Location
- Online via Zoom
- Open To
- Ryerson students, faculty and staff
- Contact
- Brian Norton, bnorton@torontomu.ca
Event description
Join us for an online event in honour of Orange Shirt Day, a global day of recognition and awareness-raising about residential schools. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange to show your support and to honour survivors of residential schools.
After opening remarks, members of the Orange Shirt Day organizing committee will read from the book "Phyllis's Orange Shirt" by Phyllis Webstad, followed by a discussion period.
Guest speakers
- Joanne Okimawininew Dallaire, Elder (Ke Shay Hayo) and Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
- Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor
- Dr. Saeed Zolfaghari, Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic
- Dr. Denise O’Neil Green, Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion
- Monica McKay, Director, Aboriginal Initiatives
About "Phyllis's Orange Shirt" by Phyllis Webstad
When Phyllis Webstad (nee Jack) turned six, she went to residential school for the first time. On her first day at school, she wore a shiny orange shirt that her granny had bought for her, but when she got to the school, it was taken away from her and never returned. “The Orange Shirt Day Story” is the true story of Phyllis and her orange shirt.
Phyllis is Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). Today she is the Executive Director of the Orange Shirt Society (external link) , which encourages local school districts, organizations and the general public to wear orange and discuss the legacy of residential schools annually.
The annual Orange Shirt Day commemoration on September 30 is an opportunity to discuss the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. The date was chosen as it is the time of year when children were taken from their homes to residential schools. It also marks the beginning of the school year, and reaffirms that “Every Child Matters.”
Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided
The event will take place on Zoom. Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided.
Let us know if you require specific accommodations
Ryerson University is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any accommodation requirements, please let us know in the registration form. You can also email accessibility@torontomu.ca.
Orange Shirt Day organizing committee
Orange Shirt Day was organized by RASS (as part of Aboriginal Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion) and the Aboriginal Education Council, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Ryerson Library, School of Early Childhood Studies, School of Midwifery and School of Social Work.