Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Orange Shirt Day.
Orange Shirt Day was first established in British Columbia in 2013 as way of honouring residential school survivors, their families, and those who never made it home.
Today, people are asked to wear orange as a reminder of the of the lasting effects of the residential school system.
A display at St. John’s Harbour for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (VOCM News)
In 2021, the federal government established the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday that coincides with Orange Shirt Day.
The decision was made even more profound due to the confirmation of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops B.C. earlier that year.
To recognize the day, First Light is hosting a Rally for Reconciliation at the Pippy Park Northbank Lodge on Nagles Place. The event is happening at 2:00 this afternoon.
