09/30/2026
Today is Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance and awareness honoring Native and Indigenous children who were forcibly separated from their families and communities through government-supported boarding and residential school systems.
It is a day to acknowledge, honor, and remember the children who were lost, the Survivors who endured these schools, and the descendants and families who continue to be impacted across Turtle Island (North America). September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, a date chosen because it coincides with the time of year when Indigenous children were historically taken from their homes and families and sent to residential schools. The day relates to the story of Survivor Phyllis Webstad, whose orange shirt was taken from her when she arrived at a residential school as a child.
In both the United States and Canada, government-supported and operated boarding and residential schools were part of broader policies of forced assimilation and the erasure of Native and Indigenous ways of life. The goal of these schools was the erasure of the Native way of life, stripping Indigenous children and communities of their languages, traditions, and sovereignty. The impacts of these policies continue to be felt by Native and Indigenous families and communities today.
As we move forward, today is a day to not only learn, but to raise awareness, carry the knowledge with us, and take action to honor our history, support Survivors, and to work toward a future rooted in respect, understanding, and healing.
