With National Day for Truth and Reconciliation coming up on Wednesday, September 30, W̱JOȽEȽP community members are invited to pick up an orange shirt at the Tsartlip Health Centre in the spirit of honouring, remembrance, and reconciliation.
Brenda Bartleman will be distributing Orange t-shirts for TSARTLIP FIRST NATION MEMBERSHIP. TSARTLIP Membership are invited to come to the Health Centre on Monday, September 28, 2026 from 10:00am to 4:00pm to receive an Orange T-Shirt. There will be children, youth and adult sizes. Please bring your membership ID or TSARTLIP verification.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to commemorate those impacted by Residential School – Survivors, their families, and those who never returned home. Orange shirts are commonly worn on this day to show solidarity with those who suffered the impacts of the residential school system.
The use of orange shirts is a reference to the story of Phyllis Webstad, a survivor of the residential school system and Founder of the Orange Shirt Society. Phyllis – who attended residential school as a six-year-old in 1973 – explains that her grandmother bought her a new, orange shirt to get her ready for the first day of school. But, when she got to the school, they stripped her and took her new orange shirt. Therefore, wearing orange on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation represents all that was taken from residential school survivors; not only clothing, but culture, language, joy, family, and – far too often – life itself.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation became a federal holiday in 2021 in direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. These Calls to Action are a list of 94 steps for governments, organizations, and individuals to take to address the harmful history of the residential school system.
If you would like to get involved in Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, there are many events taking place this year, including:
- The South Island Powwow – September 30th, 10AM at Royal Athletic Park
- Truth & Reconciliation: A Gathering of Remembrance & Care – September 30th, 6-8PM at KWENCH
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria – Free Admission to the Gallery and the exhibition As waters merge– swaying waves beckoning us closer on September 30th, 12-5PM
- Indigenous film screenings at Star Cinema (Sidney) – September 26th – October 1st
- Truth & Reconciliation Day Ride – September 30th, 8:30AM at Songhees Park – 11AM
- The 2nd Annual: Rhymes For Reconciliation – September 30th, 7PM – 11PM at Lucky Bar
W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) looks forward to coming together with the community to honour survivors, celebrate resilience, and to renew the commitment to a healthier future for all our community members. Resilience is not just surviving the past, it’s building a stronger future together.
To stay up to date on news about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and other important W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) news and events, be sure to sign up for the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) newsletter.
