Orange Shirt Day 2018
Donation protected
What are the funds for?
Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that honours the 150,000 children who passed through Canada’s residential school system. By opening up conversations about the legacy of residential schools, we aim to create a space for healing and reclamation of identity and culture.
On September 30th, Victoria will observe Orange Shirt Day through a free, regional event open to all members of the public.
Orange Shirt Day is organized by a private coalition of residential school survivors and supporters. We rely on the generous support of community members to host our annual event in Victoria’s Centennial Square. This GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise the funds needed to secure speakers, event equipment rentals and public activities. At present, these funds are being paid out of pocket by survivors and supporters. With $7500, we can cover all costs associated with Orange Shirt Day and expand our reach to ensure all survivors are remembered and honoured.
For more information, please visit orangeshirtday.org.
The vision and the hope
We want to ask every citizen of Victoria to help us honour the 150,000 survivors of the residential school system so their voices can be heard through our participation,” says spokespersons Kristin Spray and Eddy Charlie. “As an indigenous person and a survivor of residential school and a visitor to the Lekwammen territories, we wish to create awareness about the issues of residential schools. We feel a responsibility to stand together so that the spirits of our ancestors can witness our spiritual blanket embracing every path as we rebuild everything that was taken from our ancestors. We hope Orange shirt day will open up conversations about the legacy of residential school so everyone can begin a journey of healing and reclamation of their identity and cultures.
What is residential school?
When we first decided to bring Orange Shirt Day to Camosun College we were shocked to learn that very few people knew of the history of residential schools. Even among the indigenous peoples very few people knew of that dark history. It was because of shame and ager at this history. It is very important that we share this history. Every time we speak about it we grow stronger and we give us that opportunity to break free of a wall that has kept us all locked in a battle of anger and shame. That shame has led to communities battling drug, alcoholism, viloence and totla destrucion of what language and culture that we do have left. It is just one small step towards healing but Orange Shirt Day gives us that opportunity to grow together.
Residential schools were created in 1880's by prime minister John A McDonald.The main goals of Canada’s Indigenous policy were to eliminate Indigenous ruling patriarchy; ignore indigenous rights; destroy the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause all indigenous peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada..
Duncan Campbell Scott, the Deputy Superintendent General of the Department of Indian Affairs between 1913 and 1931 who administered the government's assimilation policy notoriously said,
"...the Government will in time reach the end of its responsibility as the Indians progress into civilization and finally disappear as a separate and distinct people, not by race extinction but by gradual assimilation with their fellow-citizens."
Today, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says this policy amounts to an act of cultural genocide.In the residential school there were a reported 31 900 claims of sex abuse and many claims are still in the process of being investigated. The sex abuse and physical abuse at these schools have led to wide spread intergenerational effects for survivors and their families. The sexual and physical abuse as well as the removal of 150,000 children from their families have caused long lasting trauma for many survivors and the effect of the trauma has been passed onto to children and grandchildren of survivors of the residential school. When we had our first orange shirt day at camosun college just the act of wearing orange shirt with so many others gave people a strong sense of identity and they drew courage from seeing people from all walks of life come together to recognize the sacrifice of the survivors of residential schools. It changed the way people spoke to each other. Respect was being created that didn't exist before. Today children and grandchildren of survivors are learning for the first time why parents and grandparents are the way they are and it is having such a profound effect on their spirit. The intergenerational children and grandchildren want to learn more and Orange Shirt day is giving them this opportunity to do this.
Some elementary schools across Canada are making it mandatory to teach the history of residential schools and now many schools across Canada are having their own version of Orange shirt day to honour survivors of residential schools. This is why Orange shirt day is so important. It gives everybody a chance to be heard, but more importantly it gives us the opportunity to sit and remember together as a group the huge sacrifice of the survivors of residential schools.
Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that honours the 150,000 children who passed through Canada’s residential school system. By opening up conversations about the legacy of residential schools, we aim to create a space for healing and reclamation of identity and culture.
On September 30th, Victoria will observe Orange Shirt Day through a free, regional event open to all members of the public.
Orange Shirt Day is organized by a private coalition of residential school survivors and supporters. We rely on the generous support of community members to host our annual event in Victoria’s Centennial Square. This GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise the funds needed to secure speakers, event equipment rentals and public activities. At present, these funds are being paid out of pocket by survivors and supporters. With $7500, we can cover all costs associated with Orange Shirt Day and expand our reach to ensure all survivors are remembered and honoured.
For more information, please visit orangeshirtday.org.
The vision and the hope
We want to ask every citizen of Victoria to help us honour the 150,000 survivors of the residential school system so their voices can be heard through our participation,” says spokespersons Kristin Spray and Eddy Charlie. “As an indigenous person and a survivor of residential school and a visitor to the Lekwammen territories, we wish to create awareness about the issues of residential schools. We feel a responsibility to stand together so that the spirits of our ancestors can witness our spiritual blanket embracing every path as we rebuild everything that was taken from our ancestors. We hope Orange shirt day will open up conversations about the legacy of residential school so everyone can begin a journey of healing and reclamation of their identity and cultures.
What is residential school?
When we first decided to bring Orange Shirt Day to Camosun College we were shocked to learn that very few people knew of the history of residential schools. Even among the indigenous peoples very few people knew of that dark history. It was because of shame and ager at this history. It is very important that we share this history. Every time we speak about it we grow stronger and we give us that opportunity to break free of a wall that has kept us all locked in a battle of anger and shame. That shame has led to communities battling drug, alcoholism, viloence and totla destrucion of what language and culture that we do have left. It is just one small step towards healing but Orange Shirt Day gives us that opportunity to grow together.
Residential schools were created in 1880's by prime minister John A McDonald.The main goals of Canada’s Indigenous policy were to eliminate Indigenous ruling patriarchy; ignore indigenous rights; destroy the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause all indigenous peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada..
Duncan Campbell Scott, the Deputy Superintendent General of the Department of Indian Affairs between 1913 and 1931 who administered the government's assimilation policy notoriously said,
"...the Government will in time reach the end of its responsibility as the Indians progress into civilization and finally disappear as a separate and distinct people, not by race extinction but by gradual assimilation with their fellow-citizens."
Today, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says this policy amounts to an act of cultural genocide.In the residential school there were a reported 31 900 claims of sex abuse and many claims are still in the process of being investigated. The sex abuse and physical abuse at these schools have led to wide spread intergenerational effects for survivors and their families. The sexual and physical abuse as well as the removal of 150,000 children from their families have caused long lasting trauma for many survivors and the effect of the trauma has been passed onto to children and grandchildren of survivors of the residential school. When we had our first orange shirt day at camosun college just the act of wearing orange shirt with so many others gave people a strong sense of identity and they drew courage from seeing people from all walks of life come together to recognize the sacrifice of the survivors of residential schools. It changed the way people spoke to each other. Respect was being created that didn't exist before. Today children and grandchildren of survivors are learning for the first time why parents and grandparents are the way they are and it is having such a profound effect on their spirit. The intergenerational children and grandchildren want to learn more and Orange Shirt day is giving them this opportunity to do this.
Some elementary schools across Canada are making it mandatory to teach the history of residential schools and now many schools across Canada are having their own version of Orange shirt day to honour survivors of residential schools. This is why Orange shirt day is so important. It gives everybody a chance to be heard, but more importantly it gives us the opportunity to sit and remember together as a group the huge sacrifice of the survivors of residential schools.
Organizer and beneficiary
Eddy Charlie
Organizer
Victoria, BC
Kristin Spray
Beneficiary
