A Hint of Orange....

It seemed as if almost overnight the colours of autumn burned a little brighter in the woods of our back bay.. just a hint of what is to come...but significant in another respect too..It is September 30.
 
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived residential schools and those who did not. It relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Schuswap six-year old girl who, on her first day at residential school, arrived dressed in her favourite orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations. On September 30, Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the mistreatment of Indigenous children and to remind us that Every Child Matters.

This year, September 30 also marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday that honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.

Two special days in one. A day when orange is the most popular colour.