A sea of orange covered Boitanio Park in the Lake City earlier this morning where Orange Shirt Day was recognized.
A list of speakers was on hand to mark this event including the Executive Director and Founder of the Orange Shirt Society, Phyllis Webstad.
“The reason Orange Shirt Day was started was to create a conversation about all aspects of Indian Residential Schools and to honor survivors and their families and that’s certainly being done today and just keeps increasing in momentum and one day every Canadian will know about Residential Schools,” Webstad said.
Webstad says she was very honored to be there to witness the children learning about what happened to us.
Part of today’s Orange Shirt Day in Williams lake included the launching of the Paths to Reconciliation project that was made by Tim Joyce, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Canadian Geographic Enterprises.
“Just as Residential Schools relied on education to assimilate Indigenous children Paths To Reconciliation will leverage education to confront misunderstandings and misinformation about the impact and legacy of the Residential School system”, Joyce said.
With the launch, Webstad will embark on a cross-Canada tour starting in November, to 24 Indigenous and non-Indigenous schools teaching students about the history, legacy, and impacts of Indian residential schools.