Every Child Matters t-shirt; photo courtesy SRCE
You might notice a lot of people wearing orange Monday.
It’s Orange Shirt Day- students and school staff members are wearing orange to raise awareness about the history of residential schools.
Miranda Gould, the Strait Regional Centre for Education‘s Mi’kmaq services and education coordinator, tells The Hawk they want to start conversations about residential schools.
“It opens and starts the process of dialogue to happen amongst our communities in regards to some of the experiences of First Nations or Indigenous people across Canada with the residential schools,” she says. “We can encourage one another to build on our cultural roots and understanding of our histories, and how those histories have impacted First Nations people.”
Gould says they hope students will think of the impact residential schools had on indigenous communities, as well as individuals.
She says school officials have been encouraged to use the day to talk about residential schools, set up workshops, and invite survivors to share their experiences and talk about the impact the residential school had on their life.
The day comes just before the start of Mi’kmaq History Month; Treaty Day is Tuesday.
