The University of Windsor is committed to reconciliation. We're working to foster respect and mutual understanding with all Indigenous peoples and communities. You can partner in the work of reconciliation by listening, learning, and sharing on Orange Shirt Day.
What is Orange Shirt Day - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?
Orange Shirt Day - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a national movement and annual event in Canada. During this day Indigenous and non-Indigenous people come together in the spirit of hope and reconciliation to honour those who attended residential schools, their families, and communities.
Take time to learn about the impacts of the policies and actions of the Government of Canada and the churches that operated the schools. We listen to the stories of survivors and their families and remember those that didn’t make it home.
The observance of Orange Shirt Day on campus is Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Residential school survivor, Phyllis Webstad began observing this day in Williams Lake, BC in 2013 at the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event at which told the story of her shiny new orange shirt that was taken away from her on her first day of school at the SJM.
Orange Shirt Day occurs in early fall because this is the time of year when children were removed from their families and forced to attend residential schools.
The residential school era began in the early 1870’s, with the last school closing in 1996. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children attended these schools. There are an estimated 80,000 survivors living today.
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