September 30 is Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day recognizes and commemorates the tragic history of residential schools, which 150,000+ Indigenous children were forced to attend between the 1870s and 1997.
Here are three ways you can commemorate the day:
- Continue learning. More than 300 U of T Engineering community members have engaged with the Indigenous Cultural Competency Toolkit in the past year. Continue your learning by exploring the recommended resources in Modules 2 and 3. If you have not started exploring the toolkit yet, begin your journey today.
- Attend the event on September 30 (virtually or in-person) at Hart House. Andrew Wesley, former Elder-in-Residence at First Nations House, will provide the keynote address. If attending virtually, consider using one of U of T Engineering’s two virtual backgrounds to commemorate the day.
- Wear an orange shirt on September 30 and read Phyllis’ story to understand the significance of the shirt. Join the national movement to honour residential school Survivors and acknowledge the inter-generational trauma caused by residential schools. If you don’t have an orange shirt yet, the U of T Bookstore, in partnership with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, will have a limited supply of Orange Shirt Day shirts available for purchase; all proceeds will go to Indigenous community organizations.