The Pitt-Bradford men’s lacrosse team paired with the university’s Office of Inclusion and Belonging to raise awareness for and participate in Orange Shirt Day or the National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indigenous Boarding Schools.

Orange Shirt Day is a day in which Indigenous communities and their allies remember the generational impact of Residential Schools and honor those affected by them.  Survivors and their descendants have adopted the orange shirt as a symbol to commemorate the residential school experience. It originates from a story about a 6-year-old girl who lived at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Canada, where the orange shirt her grandmother had bought her was taken from her and replaced with a school uniform.

“Orange Shirt Day is tremendously important for our program,” said head men’s lacrosse coach Scotty Gwyn. “We have members of our team with direct family ties to those affected by these boarding schools, and they deserve the opportunity to be heard, acknowledged, and to heal from the generational trauma caused by the schools.”

On Monday, the university set up tables in Frame-Westerberg Commons containing information on U.S. Indian Residential schools, the Haudenosaunee people, and the neighboring Seneca Tribe. This was followed by a Walk of Remembrance at 12:00 p.m.

The Office of Inclusion and Belonging also held a viewing of “Unseen Tears” with a post-film discussion. The film is a documentary featuring survivors of the Thomas Indian School and the Mohawk Institute describing the abuse endured at the schools and the systematic assault on their language and culture.

Along with attending and participating in the events, the men’s lacrosse program also sold official Orange Shirt Day t-shirts to raise money for the day of remembrance. Surrounded by men’s lacrosse players, and other students and staff clad in the signature orange shirt, attendees spoke about the meaning of the day, and how to make a difference.

“As a Lacrosse program, it is important that we learn from those who gave us the game, including uncomfortable truths like the history of Indigenous boarding schools and their generational impact,” Gwynn added.

More information on Orange Shirt Day can be found on the Prange Shirt Society’s website, here.