Saskatoon·Photos

Orange Shirt Day commemorates residential school survivors across Saskatchewan

People from across the country are remembering residential school survivors today by wearing orange.

Orange shirts, pins worn to remember residential school survivors

Orange Shirt Day at Onion Lake

9 years ago
Duration 0:21
Students at Onion Lake hold special event on Orange Shirt Day to remember and honour those who attended residential schools.

People from across the country are remembering residential school survivors today by wearing orange.

Orange Shirt Day is an annual event designed to commemorate survivors across the country.

The event was created in British Columbia in 2013. The orange shirt comes from an account of a survivor having her new orange shirt taken away from her on the first day of school.

Students at the Aboriginal Students Centre at the University of Saskatchewan gathered together today to show support for the initiative.

"It's important to show support for the ones that have gone," said student Frank Clinton. "This is the very least I could do."

Elder Darlene Speidel said her classes have paid particular attention to residential school issues this week. She said she is happy to see young people wearing orange today.

"I'm very pleased to see that," she said. "I'm hoping that they're wearing it to draw attention to #everychildmatters." 

People are using the hastag #everychildmatters as well as #orangeshirtday to highlight the day's event.