Orange Shirt Day set for Tuesday

Community members are invited to join in remembering the children who didn’t come home for this year’s Orange Shirt Day, with a community breakfast scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Golden Age Club.

In previous years, organizers marked the day with a birthday celebration, in acknowledgement of the children who were unable to celebrate their birthdays at residential school. This year, organizer Helen Jarvis Montour said the team has decided to pivot to a more relaxed breakfast setting, with the hopes that it’ll be easier to facilitate conversation on the day.

The breakfast will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Golden Age club, with food provided by Playground Cares and The Rail.

“You can’t have truth and reconciliation without Orange Shirt Day,” said Montour. “I stress that to everybody I see.”

Orange Shirt Day occurs every year on September 30, part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On the day, many don orange shirts, a movement that came about because of the story of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who is Northern Secwpemc, who had her orange shirt taken from her on her first day at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School.

“This event is all about us having a conversation, it’s about bringing people in and talking,” Montour said.

The day will begin with a tobacco burning ceremony, which will be held at 8:45 a.m. in the green space by Orville Standup Memorial Park, followed by the community breakfast. The event will be supported by Kahnawà:ke Shakotiia’takéhnhas Community Services (KSCS), who will be supplying giveaway items for participants, as well as providing a booth with support services for those who may find the day emotionally difficult.

“If someone wants to talk, if someone feels traumatized and needs someone, there’ll be someone right there,” Montour said.

Mouchie Goodleaf will be playing music throughout the day, a photobooth will be set up, and Montour said she’s also secured a special visit from the Kahnawake Hunters’ owner Derek Stacey, who will be bringing the Founders Cup to the event.

“I thought it would be a good idea so elders can get pictures with it and celebrate, because if they didn’t survive, those children wouldn’t be there and wouldn’t have won it,” she said.

There will also be a few visitors from nearby schools in Chateauguay, including a small group from a special education centre.

“It’s about having conversations and keeping outside communities involved, that’s my vision of how we want to do it,” Montour said. “You can’t teach people anything if they don’t participate.”

In Montreal, the day will be honoured with a march through the city, organized by Resilience Montreal and the Native Women’s Shelter. The march will begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday by the Sir George-Etienne Cartier statue in Mount Royal Park.

Kahnawake’s organizing committee is also looking for volunteers - if anyone wishes to help set up for the event, they should head to the Golden Age Club at 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

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