On September 30, Campus Saint-Jean and the University of Alberta encourage everyone to wear an orange shirt to honour and remember the experiences and loss of the thousands of children who were stolen from their families and placed in Indian Residential Schools (IRS).
One of the greatest impacts of IRS was cultural genocide; this is why we decided to turn this painful history into a positive one, to reclaim this time of year, and get back to our cultural and traditional roots in post-secondary. Just because our students leave their homefires to continue their academic journey does not mean they leave behind their traditions. We need to uphold them and provide them space to connect and reconnect with traditions and culture.
Orange Shirt Day is a day for coming together to discuss moving toward a journey of respect and equal partnerships for a greater outcome of reconciliation. This journey of reconciliation is a lifelong relationship that needs to be nourished and cherished, with clear communication, kindness, and honesty.
We encourage you to wear this orange shirt on September 30, and post pictures of yourself using the hashtag #OrangeShirtDay and #UAlberta. We want to make every Orange Shirt Day a day of giving back to the First Nation, Métis, and Inuit learners at the University of Alberta. We welcome your support in whatever capacity you are able to give at this time!
Please visit the University of Alberta website for more information.