The National Day of Remembrance is widely recognized on Sept. 30 each year in the United States to honor Indian boarding school survivors, the children who never made it home and their families.
The remembrances coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada, originally known as Orange Shirt Day after a survivor whose orange shirt given to her by her grandmother was confiscated when she arrived at one of Canada’s notorious residential schools.
People in both countries are encouraged to wear orange shirts on Sept. 30 to acknowledge the struggles and the intergenerational trauma that has followed.
This year, however, one particular event was hosted early on Sept. 16 by the National Native American Boarding School Coalition at the Indian Gaming Association headquarters in Washington, D.C. ICT was there.