REGINA – Joining with communities across the country, schools throughout the province will again be officially recognizing “Orange Shirt Day” on Wednesday, Sept. 30, as requested annually by the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA).
“The SSBA, on behalf of our 27 member boards of education, are encouraging school communities, and all residents of the province, to participate in Orange Shirt Day by wearing orange and taking the time to reflect on residential schools this Wednesday,” said Dr. Shawn Davidson, SSBA president.
“This special day that we recognize each year represents an opportunity for each one of us to think about residential schools, expand our understanding of this history and commit to growing together through education toward reconciliation,” Davidson added.
Orange Shirt Day is part of a larger movement in the country to provide opportunity to unite in a spirit of reconciliation and hope for future generations. The movement is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in B.C. in 2013, emerging out of the account of a young girl having her new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school.
The day was first proclaimed in Saskatchewan in 2016, in response to a resolution passed by the province’s trustees at the SSBA Spring General Assembly. The Government of Saskatchewan proclaims the day each year at the SSBA’s request.
“Orange Shirt Day is an important opportunity to learn more about the history of the residential school experience and its impacts,” Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant said. “Participating in Orange Shirt Day provides a chance to bring schools and communities together on a shared path toward reconciliation.”