On September 30, people all across Canada will wear orange shirts to remember and honour Indigenous children who were taken from their communities and families to residential schools.
This Orange Shirt Day is also the first observance of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For settler Christians in particular, this is a time when we can reflect on our role in colonialism and the residential school system, and our ongoing responsibility to make reparations.
Here are some ways you can take part in Orange Shirt Day
- Find out more about Orange Shirt Day on the website
- Wear an orange shirt to Worship next Sunday, September 26 (online or in-person).
- Wear an orange shirt on Orange Shirt Day which is Thursday, September 30.
- Also on September 30, join the United Church's Indigenous Ministries and Justice Executive Minister Murray Pruden for a candlelight vigil at 7:00 p.m. on the Indigenous Ministries Facebook page.
Orange Shirt Day is a time for us all to remember those events, their ongoing impact, and just as importantly the continuing strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples. Former Healing Programs Coordinator Honarine Scott has written a powerful reflection on this.
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