Edmonds School District to recognize Sept. 30 as ‘Orange Shirt Day,’ honoring Indigenous residential school survivors 

The Edmonds School Board at its Aug. 19 meeting adopted a resolution to officially declare Sept. 30 as Orange Shirt Day, or Every Child Matters Day. It’s a movement started in 2013 to recognize the trauma inflicted on Indigenous people by residential schools and to honor survivors, their families and indigenous communities.

The origins of Orange Shirt Day come from the story of Phyllis Webstad of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem (Canoe Creek) First Nation in British Columbia, who founded the Orange Shirt Society. At just 6 years old, her brand new orange shirt was taken from her upon arrival at a residential school in 1973, per the Orange Shirt Society’s website. Now 58, Webstad lives in British Columbia with her family. 

Each year on Sept. 30, people across the globe wear orange shirts to commemorate the experience of Indigenous people who attended residential schools.

According to the Edmonds School District Family News published Aug. 26: “This important day serves as an opportunity for our schools and community to honor the Indigenous survivors of residential schools, remember the children who never returned home, and acknowledge the lasting impacts of these institutions on Indigenous peoples, families, and communities.”

Mountlake Terrace High School Indigenous Student Union representatives Riley Guthrie, Brennan Bahe and Elizabeth Herrmann advocated for and helped draft the resolution. 

The U.S. government in the late 1800s established Native American Boarding Schools, also known as residential schools, to enforce a “civilization process” on Indigenous youth in an attempt to assimilate them into mainstream American society, according to the Indigenous Foundation. 

Hundreds of federally funded boarding schools operated in the U.S. and Canada until the late 1970s. Tens of thousands of children were forced to attend these schools, regardless of the child’s or their family’s approval. At the schools, children were stripped of their Indigenous culture and often suffered severe abuse. 

A 2024 federal investigation found that approximately 973 Indigenous children died at residential schools in the U.S., and at least 12 of them were members of Salish tribes.  The investigation identified 17 schools that operated in Washington state. 

By adopting the resolution, the school board encourages all students and community members to wear orange on Sept. 30, and take time to learn about Indigenous history. 

“By engaging in learning, reflection, and dialogue, we can better understand the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and strengthen our commitment to advancing reconciliation and healing,” the district said. 

Find the full resolution here. 

— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.