National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30 is now a national holiday to honour the children who never came home from residential schools, the survivors of residential schools, and their families and communities. It's also Orange Shirt Day, and all are encouraged to wear orange shirts.  "Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of  'Every Child Matters'.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations." ( quote from this website). It was good to see quite a few people in town wearing orange today. Both G and I did. 
This is a combination of the designs on the front and back of G's shirt. I used the above words in my other journal along with a bit of information about a children's book written by my good friend and colleague, Seepeetza, about her experiences as a student at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. A terrible part of Canadian history that so many non-Indigenous people here have only recently become aware of.