Orange Shirt Day: How Phyllis Webstad's 1st day at residential school inspired a movement

Students from all over Canada will wear an orange shirt today to cultivate the spirit of reconciliation commemorating the indigenous experience of indigenous schools.

The first day of Phyllis Jack Westad of her boarding school in BC Williams Lake was the source of inspiration for Orange Shirt Day. (OrangeShirtDay.org)

Today is the day of an orange shirt - remember the days of indigenous students from boarding schools throughout Canada.

You may have heard about the day to raise bullying awareness - the pink shirt day inspired by the story of a boy in Nova Scotia province bullied on wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.

Orange Shirt Day was inspired by Phyllis Jack Webstad, Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation of Williams Lake, British Columbia, and the first day of 1973 when he was 6 years old.

"We did not have money or welfare, but somehow my grandmother succeeded in buying new clothes for the mission school to me," Webstad recalled at the Orange Shirts website article.

"I remember going to Robinson's shop and picking a shiny orange shirt, which is a very bright and exciting rope just like I have to go to school. "

"When I arrived at the mission they took my body and took my clothes, including orange shirts! I never saw it again. I can not figure out why they will not come back to me, this is me It is. "

"Orange always reminds me of this, no one cares how it feels irrelevant, and I feel that I am not worth anything," she I wrote. "All our children are crying, nobody cares"

After Webstad told her first story, Orange Shirt Day was held in Williams Lake in 2013 and commemorated the survivors of all residential schools.

Since then, it has spread throughout the state such as mission, BC. In Wednesday afternoon, 300 orange students go to the venue of the residence school.

In the schoolyard of this school, I am planning to meet the elders who share topics about boarding schools.

Hislip said that this day is also a teacher's learning experience, he thinks Orange Shirt Day is just the beginning.

"In other words, I was teaching on the street of the school a few years ago, I do not know about that," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news. "There is no reason for me, this is the building I drove in the past, I am a teacher."

He pointed out that for the first time this year the BC's new school curriculum will include world views and views.

Orange Shirt Day was founded by Phyllis Jack Webstad, a woman from Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) who confiscated an orange shirt on school first day in 1972. In 2013, people in Williams Lake started watching Orange Shirt Day, receiving the legacy of Saint Joseph's mission boarding school spreading nationwide. A class examined students, teachers, and parents about reconciliation before the day of an orange shirt. They wrote them down and showed them to the library. The local WSÁNE monks came to school and heard the news of local writer Monique Gray-Smith who participated in the skeleton game which is a traditional guessing game.

Another personal story empathizing with the children is Phyllis Webstad that caused a nationwide campaign for the orange shirt day on September 30 every year. In 1973, 6-year-old Phyllis was excited to attend school and chose a new orange shirt. When she arrived at school, all her clothes, including her orange shirt, took from her. "Orange always reminds me of this, I do not care how anyone feels it is irrelevant, I do not think that's worth anything," Weststadt explained. Information on Orange Shirt Day is important for all children

Orange Shirt Day is a monument of the Saint Joseph Church (SJM) residential school in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada, in the spring of 2013. It comes from the story of Phyllis wearing a shiny new orange shirt on the first day of the mission and it was an opportunity to discuss every aspect of the school every year. This day was chosen because children were home when they went home to a boarding school from their home in the year and it was an opportunity to set the stage of racial discrimination and bullying prevention policies of the coming year. It also gives teachers time to plan activities including children because we want to make sure we pass the story to the next generation.