Office of Indigenous Education Hosts "Every Child Matters" Event on Orange Shirt Day

On Monday, September 30, 2024, the Office of Indigenous Education hosted a "Lunch and Learn" event in conjunction with the University at Albany to educate attendees on the Indian boarding schools operated and mandated by the American federal government. The schools began operation in 1819 and some continued to operate through the 1970s. The purpose of federal Indian boarding schools was to culturally assimilate American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children by forcibly removing them from their families, communities, languages, religions and cultural beliefs. Many of the Indigenous children who attended federal boarding schools were subjected to physical and emotional abuse and neglect which, in some cases, led to death.

Orange Shirt Day is observed on September 30th to acknowledge and reconcile the harm that the Indian Residential School System had on Indigenous communities. It is an Indigenous-initiated day of remembrance intended to raise awareness of the generational impacts to individuals, families, and Indigenous communities that the boarding schools inflicted, and to promote the ideal that 'Every Child Matters.' The orange shirt is a symbol of the erasure of culture, identity, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over the generations affected by the boarding schools.

Today, Indigenous communities continue to grapple with the lasting impacts of the boarding school system. Efforts are underway to support healing and promote cultural revitalization through initiatives such as language preservation programs, cultural education, and community-led initiatives. The boarding schools' harmful legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging historical injustices and working towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

The Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District, in conjunction with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and videographer Kimberly Pennant, have also prepared a video commemoration of this year's Orange Shirt Day, which can be found on YouTube on the NYSUT video channel or at this link: Orange Shirt Day (youtube.com)