Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day: Honouring Residential School Survivors

Shawna Chatterton-Jerome Contributor

The story behind Orange Shirt Day is that of Phyllis Webstad. At the age of 6 years old, she left her home to attend the residential school in British Columbia. When her grandmother brought her to the store to pick out an outfit for her first day, Webstad chose the bright orange shirt. To her, it seemed like an exciting shirt for a change that she thought would be exciting. However, we know that as soon as the doors closed behind the young, ambitious, Indigenous children like Phyllis Webstad, they were forcibly undressed, humiliated, and stripped from all ties to their Indigenous culture. This trauma has not only negatively impacted the children for life but also their parents and the generations to come.

September 30 is the national day across Canada to honour residential school survivors and the victims who lost their lives to them alike. This date was chosen because it is around the same time the Indian Agents would come and remove children from their homes.

Orange Shirt Day is significant as a reminder of Canada’s genocidal history and the shameful harm it did to the many Indigenous people who had nothing but good intentions when the first settlers arrived, who showed great hospitality and had no problem helping others, and who gave their trust to the settlers just for them to turn around and take advantage of it all. The residential schools were one of the many forms of colonialism Indigenous people faced, and it has had a long-lasting impact.

I personally do not have any close relatives who attended residential schools, but that does not mean that I, or my people, are not suffering from it. The residential schools have brought intergenerational trauma to communities all over Canada.

I am a Mi’kmaq woman, yet I do not know how to speak my language. It is not the fault of my father for not teaching me the language. It is also not my own fault for not seeking to learn my language. It is the fault of the colonial systems and institutions that have been trying to systemically erase my culture and kill my people. If colonizers had not come to Canada in the first place, I would have known how to speak my language and practice my traditions. However, this is not the case.

Our people have been constantly pushed down and told to be ashamed of our identity. I grew up my whole life not even thinking I was Indigenous. A couple of years ago, I asked my mom why we moved off the reserve when I was young and she told me that she didn’t want her children to be “little Indians.” I understand her worries. I would want to protect my children from all the discrimination and racism as well.

There is nothing we can do to change the past, but we must continue to acknowledge all the harm that was done, so we can honour survivors through memory and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Bishop’s Orange Shirt Day 2017 – The event took place virtually this year as a result of the ongoing pandemic Photo Courtesy of the Bishop’s University Facebook page

Resonating Ruth – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Passes at 87 Years Old

Sarah Mojsej News Editor

A 2014 portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Elle Magazine Photo Courtesy of Ruven Afanador

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away due to cancer complications on Sept. 18, 2020. She was the second woman to sit on the United States’ highest court and the first woman to be laid in state. She served on the U.S. Court of Appeals before being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993 by Bill Clinton. Ginsburg was renowned for her lifelong fight for the advancement of women’s rights. One of her landmark cases includes United States v. Virginia that fought for gender equality at the Virginia Military Institute and denounced male-only enrolment at the institution. She also used her position of power to vote against capital punishment and limit its use in the United States.

Following her passing, a wave of support emerged, both on the steps of the Supreme Court in the District of Columbia and on social media. The appreciation for Ginsberg was not limited to the United States population as Canadian politicians, celebrities and students spoke of the effect she had on their lives.

Bishop’s student Erica Morrow shared her view, saying that “regardless of geographic location, RBG courageously battled both micro and macro aggressions against women in what is otherwise a man’s world. She was a powerhouse of a woman who instilled inspiration in girls, women and everyone in between, teaching my mother, myself and my little sister that our voice is worthy of amplification and that we deserve a seat at the table.”

Many consider the legendary former Supreme Court Justice of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Beverly McLachlin, to be the Canadian equivalent of Ginsburg. McLachlin spoke at Bishop’s as part of the Donald Lecture Series in 2018 and recently said, about the passing of her late friend that “her legacy will stand the test of time.”

President Donald Trump has since voiced his intent to replace Ginsburg with Amy Coney Barrett, a nominee that would swing the Supreme Court even further to the right. Although it was against Ginsberg’s last wish, it is unclear if Barrett will be appointed before the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

“ L and Acknowledgement. We acknowledge the Abenaki people and the Wabanaki Confederacy, the traditional stewards and protectors of the territories upon which we are learning. In performing land acknowledgement, we make what was invisible visible, and invite the land, the First Nations people, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into our conversations. This act of naming - of inviting something into language - is an underlying principle of advocacy and lies at the heart of higher education. The etymology of advocacy is ad (to add) + vocare (call or voice): the origin of the word’s meaning is to give voice to something or to call out in order to initiate dialogue. The “ad’ prefix makes explicit the importance of multiple voices - and by extension multiple perspectives. In this sense, advocacy compels us to acknowledge a diversity of thoughts and opinions as a starting point rather than as an ideal outcome. In institutions of higher learning, we have a responsibility to honour spaces for emerging and established voices to engage in productive, respectful, and sometimes even uncomfortable conversations where individuals are safe to speak truth to power, explore and challenge dominant ideologies, and call out injustices and inequalities in order to imagine new ways of existing.” Dr. Jessica Riddell