Honour the experiences of residential school survivors by joining a University-wide event to recognize Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. Students, librarians, faculty members, and staff can register to attend this event in person or watch the live stream.

The University of Toronto will commemorate the day on Friday, September 29th with remarks from Alexandra Gillespie, Vice-President & Principal, University of Toronto Mississauga, and Rose Patten, Chancellor, University of Toronto, in the Great Hall at Hart House. David Kim, Warden, Hart House, will host the commemoration.

Following those remarks, Grant Hurley, Canadiana Librarian, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Mikayla Redden, Information Services & Instruction Librarian, New College Library, and Desmond Wong, Outreach Librarian, OISE Library, will engage in a panel discussion on making Residential School Survivors’ stories accessible at the University of Toronto Libraries. Angela Henshilwood, Head, Engineering & Computer Science Library, is moderating the discussion.

Orange Shirt Day has been observed on September 30th annually for several years. In June 2021, the Federal Government passed legislation formally recognizing September 30th as the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVENT

Purchase an Orange Shirt Day Shirt

All members of the U of T community are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on September 29-30 in the spirit of reconciliation. Doing so affirms that “Every Child Matters.”

In recognition of Orange Shirt Day 2023 and the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives has again partnered with the U of T Bookstore for a limited supply of orange t-shirts.

MJ Singleton, an Ojibwe, two-spirit student from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation who is studying at the University of Toronto Mississauga, designed this year’s t-shirt. Their design, titled noojimo’iwe, emphasizes the importance of healing the intergenerational trauma of residential schooling by supporting and loving those around you. The design depicts three children holding hands, with flowers blooming around them.

All proceeds from the sale of these shirts will be directed to Indigenous community organizations—no proceeds will go to the U of T Bookstore or the University of Toronto.

Participate Virtually in Orange Shirt Day

We also encourage all U of T community members to download and use the Orange Shirt Day icon as their profile photo and use the virtual background on Teams or Zoom calls the week of September 25-30 featuring MJ Singleton’s design.