Orange Shirt Day 2022
Honour the experiences of residential school survivors by joining a University-wide event to recognize Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Students, librarians, faculty and staff may register to attend this event in-person or watch the livestream.
The University of Toronto will commemorate this day of recognition with remarks from Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture, and Alexandra Gillespie, Vice-President & Principal, University of Toronto Mississauga, in The Great Hall at Hart House. Andrew Wesley, former Elder-in-Residence at First Nations House, will provide the keynote address: “Twelve Steps to Spiritual Renewal, Healing, and Forgiveness: Reflections on my Residential School Experience.”
Attend in Person
Please note: Registration does not guarantee admittance. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Overflow seating is available in The Music Room at Hart House.
Watch Online
Other Ways to Participate
Wear an Orange Shirt Day Shirt
All members of the University community—and Canadians nationwide—are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on September 30 in the spirit of reconciliation. Doing so affirms that “Every Child Matters.”
The University of Toronto Bookstore, in partnership with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, will have a limited supply of Orange Shirt Day shirts available for purchase.
All proceeds from the sales of the shirts are being directed to Indigenous community organizations—no proceeds will go to the U of T Bookstore or the University of Toronto.
Participate virtually
We also invite and encourage all U of T community members to use the Orange Shirt Day icon as their profile photo and use the virtual backdrop on Teams or Zoom calls the week of September 26.
Keynote Speaker: Andrew Wesley Former Elder-in-Residence at First Nations House
Rev. Andrew Wesley is a former Elder-in-Residence at First Nations House at the University of Toronto. He is also an Anglican priest and former Chair of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, and holds a Master’s degree in Divinity from U of T, in addition to being a trained as a civil engineering technician. Andrew is Mushkegouk/Omushkego Cree from James’ Bay and has been a recognized Elder at U of T for many years. He currently sits on U of T’s Council of Aboriginal Initiatives Elders’ Circle. He meets with students, does guest lectures on campus, and offers teachings at First Nations House. Outside his work at the University, he is also a pastoral counselor for the Council Fire Friendship Centre, and a Residential School survivor. Andrew is very respected throughout campus, and across Ontario.
The Story of Phyllis Webstad
Orange Shirt Day is based on the story of Phyllis Webstad, who in 1973, entered the St. Joseph Mission Residential School at the age of six. She was stripped of the orange shirt she was wearing and forced to wear the institutional uniform.
September 30 was chosen to mark the date when trucks and buses would arrive in communities to take children to residential schools. These schools operated in Canada between 1831 and 1996.
Learn more about Phyllis Webstad
For more information on the event, please visit the event page