By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

*Content warning: This article contains details about residential schools. Please read with care for your spirit.*

The residential school survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day 91裸聊视频� and the Every Child Matters movement 91裸聊视频� says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.

Phyllis Webstad, founder and CEO of the Orange Shirt Society, told IndigiNews she91裸聊视频檚 noticed a growing number of public posters and government campaigns are instead focused on the recently adopted National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR).

In 2013, Orange Shirt Day was born after she shared her childhood story of her new orange shirt 91裸聊视频� gifted to her by her grandma 91裸聊视频� being taken from her at age six, on her first day at the St. Joseph91裸聊视频檚 Mission in the early 1970s.

Orange shirts 91裸聊视频� often bearing the motto Every Child Matters 91裸聊视频� have become a symbol honouring children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as survivors of the colonial institutions.

For 11 years, Sept. 30 has been marked across the country as Orange Shirt Day.

Webstad91裸聊视频檚 story has contributed to the discourse around the history of colonialism in Canada 91裸聊视频� particularly residential schools, where she recalls being 91裸聊视频渟ick, hungry, tired, lonely, bawling my eyeballs out91裸聊视频� at age six.

91裸聊视频淔our-, five- and six-year-olds should not be comforting each other, and that was the case,91裸聊视频� Webstad, of Stswecem91裸聊视频檆 Xgat91裸聊视频檛em First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band), told IndigiNews. 91裸聊视频淚 felt like I did not matter.91裸聊视频�

In 2021, the Government of Canada officially recognized its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday coinciding with Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30 91裸聊视频� an annual day to reflect on the country91裸聊视频檚 harmful, ongoing legacy of colonialism.

But despite the federal recognition, Webstad now worries people are forgetting about the purpose of the original annual event on that day. For instance, some posters and campaigns across the country only mention the statutory holiday 91裸聊视频� leaving out or downplaying Orange Shirt Day almost entirely.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 want Orange Shirt Day to be forgotten,91裸聊视频� the 57-year-old said. 91裸聊视频淚t was started by a survivor. It needs to be respected 91裸聊视频� I need to be respected 91裸聊视频� and I don91裸聊视频檛 feel I have that.91裸聊视频�

She said she wishes campaigns around Sept. 30 would honour both Orange Shirt Day and NDTR in their messages.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not one or the other, it91裸聊视频檚 both,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淧eople think that it91裸聊视频檚 being replaced. Even (the Department of) Canadian Heritage, when they put out their call for proposals for monies for Sept. 30, there was no mention of Orange Shirt Day.91裸聊视频�

Canadian Heritage does not mention Orange Shirt Day on its funding program call-out for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, nor on its main homepage 91裸聊视频� where it highlights the statutory holiday.

But the webpage for the Sept. 30 holiday itself acknowledges both events occur on the same day, stating that Orange Shirt Day is an 91裸聊视频淚ndigenous-led grassroots commemorative day.91裸聊视频�

A spokesperson for the federal department told IndigiNews the holiday 91裸聊视频渁ligns with and builds on91裸聊视频� the work Webstad and her organization have done for more than a decade.

91裸聊视频淲e encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools,91裸聊视频� the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement Friday. 91裸聊视频淭he orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.91裸聊视频�

Asked about why Canadian Heritage did not include Orange Shirt Day in this year91裸聊视频檚 funding program application, the ministry said it91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渋n the process of updating language to reflect Orange Shirt Day91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� vowing to make the change before the program91裸聊视频檚 launch in November.

Webstad91裸聊视频檚 concerns about Orange Shirt Day being downplayed don91裸聊视频檛 just apply to the federal government, however.

An Internet search for Orange Shirt Day on Google instead brings results displaying National Day for Truth and Reconciliation first, with only a small thumbnail-sized image of an orange shirt. But a similar search for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation brings results stating it is still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day. Other major search engines offered similar results favouring the official holiday over the ongoing event91裸聊视频檚 origins.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim issued an official city proclamation ahead of the statutory holiday, but nowhere in the page-long document is Orange Shirt Day mentioned. (Sim91裸聊视频檚 predecessor as mayor, Kennedy Stewart, equally did not reference Orange Shirt Day in his own 2022 proclamation).

Meanwhile, the B.C. government91裸聊视频檚 webpage for the NDTR statutory holiday encourages people to participate by 91裸聊视频渨earing an orange shirt,91裸聊视频� but only mentions the occasion91裸聊视频檚 origins as Orange Shirt Day after eight paragraphs, nearly halfway down the text.

91裸聊视频�2024 marks the eleventh anniversary of Orange Shirt Day,91裸聊视频� the province notes, 91裸聊视频渁n important opportunity to open up dialogue on anti-racism and anti-bullying.91裸聊视频�

For Webstad, as a survivor, the trend is becoming increasingly worrisome.

91裸聊视频淥ne day, there will be no survivors left in Canada,91裸聊视频� Webstad said. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 want Orange Shirt Day to be, `What was that?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

She said she originally chose late September for Orange Shirt Day because it91裸聊视频檚 the time of year when Canada took hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children from their homes and families 91裸聊视频� starting in the 1880s until the last residential school closed in the late 1990s.

The early fall date also lets teachers plan lessons about residential schools after settling into each new school year, she explained.

91裸聊视频淪eptember made sense,91裸聊视频� Webstad said, 91裸聊视频渂ecause survivors do not like this time of the year.91裸聊视频�

In 2015, she founded the Orange Shirt Society as a non-profit, trademarking the phrase 91裸聊视频淓very Child Matters.91裸聊视频�

The organization sells orange t-shirts and other merchandise, with funds and donations going towards its growing public awareness campaigns.

91裸聊视频淪urvivors are adults, Elders now,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淏ut they were children when they were at these so-called `schools91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� they matter.91裸聊视频�

And the slogan Every Child Matters also honoured the students 91裸聊视频渨ho didn91裸聊视频檛 come home, the missing children and unmarked burials,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭hey matter.91裸聊视频�

Before Parliamentarians passed Bill C-369 91裸聊视频� establishing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday 91裸聊视频� Webstad said the government had debated instead picking June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, as a new statutory holiday.

But Sept. 30 was later proposed instead, and that91裸聊视频檚 when Webstad got involved, testifying about a potential Sept. 30 official date 91裸聊视频� which was ultimately picked because 91裸聊视频渂ecause Sept. 30 is somber, it91裸聊视频檚 not celebratory,91裸聊视频� she recalled.

91裸聊视频淥range Shirt Day is like Remembrance Day 91裸聊视频� you wouldn91裸聊视频檛 say, `I91裸聊视频檓 going to celebrate Remembrance Day,91裸聊视频� or `Happy Remembrance Day,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� she added. 91裸聊视频淕enocide is nothing to be happy about.91裸聊视频�

Another ongoing concern for Webstad and others in the Orange Shirt Society is what they describe as the appropriation of their cause by merchandisers around the world.

She described seeing Orange Shirt Day and Every Child Matters items for sale on popular online shops such as Etsy or Redbubble, from countries as far away as Vietnam.

One survivor contacted her upset to have found online vendors selling their own versions of orange shirts with a fashionable spin.

91裸聊视频淢y 10-year experience being held captive there was anything but fashionable,91裸聊视频� Webstad recalled. 91裸聊视频淭hey just look at it as a money-maker. They don91裸聊视频檛 understand the history behind it they see it as trending and popular.91裸聊视频�

But the Orange Shirt Society has entered official partnerships with some major chains such as Walmart and Tim Hortons to sell merchandise honouring Orange Shirt Day.

So Webstad is aware of some people91裸聊视频檚 criticisms that the cause has become co-opted by companies.

91裸聊视频淚 know a lot of people get upset 91裸聊视频� they say it91裸聊视频檚 commercialized,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淏ut it91裸聊视频檚 either that, or (the Orange Shirt Society) folds.91裸聊视频�

Since the federal holiday was declared, several Indigenous scholars have shared their thoughts about government moves to memorialize colonialism91裸聊视频檚 harms.

In an Orange Shirt Day lecture the first year Sept. 30 was also a statutory holiday, Yellowhead Institute research fellow Brock Pitawanakwat said it91裸聊视频檚 important to honour residential school survivors without ignoring current examples of colonialism.

91裸聊视频淚 can certainly see the importance of 91裸聊视频� trying to make sure that legacy isn91裸聊视频檛 lost,91裸聊视频� the Anishinaabe scholar from Whitefish River First Nation told an audience hosted by the Indigenous Environmental Justice Project in 2021.

But he warned Canadians not to focus solely on events of the past.

91裸聊视频淗aving a holiday to commemorate residential schools, it91裸聊视频檚 easier for Canadians 91裸聊视频� and the Canadian government who were in the position to create the national holiday or make it official 91裸聊视频� to apologize for things that are behind us historically.91裸聊视频�

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson 91裸聊视频� Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg author of As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance 91裸聊视频� said in a 2022 lecture that Indigenous movements91裸聊视频� priorities should be paramount, not governments91裸聊视频�.

91裸聊视频淲ithin Indigenous movements and within Indigenous communities, looking at ways in Canada of organizing that were based on what communities, Elders and Indigenous folks thought were important 91裸聊视频� not what the State was telling us we needed to do,91裸聊视频� Simpson told the Oregon Humanities Centre in 2022, adding there is 91裸聊视频渁 way of refusing reconciliation and the way that was being framed by the State.91裸聊视频�

Pitawanakwat, co-ordinator of York University91裸聊视频檚 Indigenous Studies Program, noted there91裸聊视频檚 no Indigenous Impoverishment Day or Indigenous Land Theft Day or one for child welfare 91裸聊视频� even though those issues are ongoing colonial traumas.

91裸聊视频淚t almost seems like an opportunity for colonizers to give themselves a pat on the back for caring about the consequences of what they did,91裸聊视频� he said, 91裸聊视频渨ithout actually having to do any redress.91裸聊视频�

Looking toward the future of the Indigenous-led Orange Shirt Day campaign, Webstad said her non-profit is planning ahead two years to honour the first cohort of children to graduate after receiving Orange Shirt Day education all the way from kindergarten through Grade 12.

91裸聊视频淧eople my age didn91裸聊视频檛 learn what happened to us,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭hey didn91裸聊视频檛 learn residential school history in school.

91裸聊视频淚 want the world to know, and Canada to know, that this graduating class is coming out, they91裸聊视频檝e learned about what happened to us, and they have empathy.91裸聊视频�

She believes these future leaders, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, will create a different world than the one she grew up in 91裸聊视频� where she 91裸聊视频渨asn91裸聊视频檛 even treated like a human being.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檒l never see reconciliation in my lifetime,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淏ut we91裸聊视频檙e on the path. The seed has been planted with these kids in school.91裸聊视频�