We need to stay committed to finding them all. Currently, thousands have been located and the process continues. While 215 is the number many are mourning, we all know there are many more. Orange Shirt Day is more important than ever after the confirmation of bodies found at the Kamloops Residential School on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc land. That orange shirt now symbolizes remembering the wrongs that all students in Residential Schools endured.

Upon arriving at school her new shirt and all her other belongings were taken away and never given back. Excited to go to her new school she bought a new orange shirt to wear for the first day of school. Phyllis Webstad (nee Jack) started Orange Shirt Day. Many students never returned home after dying at the schools. And those students that survived were considered lucky just to have survived. Entire families and communities were wiped out. They did not speak the language or know the people. Students had trouble returning to their communities when their schooling was finished (if they survived). The purpose of Residential Schools was to “kill the Indian.” It was cultural genocide. Students placed in Residential Schools were not allowed to speak their native languages, practice their spiritual beliefs, wear their own cultural outfits, or even wear their hair as their ancestors did. Orange Shirt Day is a day to think about the many students who were taken from their families to be colonized.

Keep reading to get a list of resources you can use in your classroom. We have searched out some student-friendly resources teachers can use in their classrooms to teach students about Residential Schools because Every Child Matters. We need to repair the damage that has been done. It is important to educate everyone about Canada’s wrongs so we can learn from them. As of 2021, the Canadian government has declared September 30 a day of National Truth and Reconciliation. Check your local area for activities so you can participate in acknowledging Residential School survivors. Orange Shirt Day is recognized each year on September 30.

These Are My Words by Ruby Slipperjack