Every year on September 30, people across Canada wear orange.
But the meaning behind that orange shirt is far more important than the colour itself.
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — a day to honour the Survivors of Canada’s residential school system, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the lasting impact residential schools have had on Indigenous families and communities.
The Story Behind the Orange Shirt
Orange Shirt Day grew from the experience of residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad.
In 1973, when Phyllis was six years old, she arrived at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in British Columbia wearing a new orange shirt that had been purchased for her by her grandmother. When she arrived at the school, the shirt was taken away from her.
That experience — and what the orange shirt came to represent — eventually inspired the first Orange Shirt Day in 2013.
Today, wearing orange has become a visible way for Canadians to acknowledge the children whose families, languages, cultures and identities were profoundly affected by the residential school system.
A Day for Truth — and for Listening
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established as a federal statutory holiday in 2021 in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action 80.
But reconciliation is not something that happens simply because a date appears on the calendar.
September 30 gives each of us an opportunity to listen, learn and better understand a part of Canadian history that many Canadians were never properly taught.
It is a day to hear the stories of Survivors.
It is a day to remember the children who did not come home.
And it is a day to recognize that the effects of the residential school system did not end when the schools closed. Those effects continue to be felt by families and communities today.
Why We Wear Orange
An orange shirt is a symbol.
Wearing one does not, by itself, constitute reconciliation. But symbols can start conversations. They can remind us to ask questions, learn more and make sure that stories which were ignored for generations are not forgotten again.
That is why you will see orange shirts in workplaces, schools, businesses and communities across Canada on September 30.
For us at VirtualTees, an apparel company here in Muskoka, there is something particularly meaningful about seeing something as simple as a T-shirt become a vehicle for remembrance and awareness.
Clothing can communicate.
On September 30, the message matters far more than the shirt.
Take the Time to Learn
Whether you wear orange on September 30 or mark the day in another way, we encourage you to spend some time learning about the history of residential schools, listening to Indigenous voices and understanding why the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation exists.
Reconciliation begins with truth.
And truth begins with a willingness to listen, remember and learn.
September 30 — Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
