OTTAWA.- September 30 is Orange Shirt Day! To recognize this important day, Ottawa Public Library in collaboration with the City of Ottawa and other Indigenous community organizations is hosting a series of virtual events on the theme of resilience.
Orange Shirt Day honours Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools in Canada. To mark this day, you are invited to show solidarity by wearing an orange shirt and being part of the various national conversations.
This initiative is an opportunity for OPL to raise awareness among youth and the general public of the history of Indigenous people in Canada and the social and historical significance of the residential school system. The Library is the perfect place to create a space for dialogue that fosters compassion, understanding, sharing and openness through a variety of activities where Elders and residential school survivors can share their stories, make connections and speak to how they built their resilience. These activities are also an opportunity for the Library to contribute and advance towards reconciliation.
On September 30, participate in Orange Shirt Day through the following activities:
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Start the day by reading an inspiring blog written by Albert Dumont, a poet, storyteller and writer from Kitigan Zibi, on Algonquin territory.
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Children ages 6 to 10 are invited to join the Orange Shirt Day online storytime with incredible storyteller and speaker Daniel Richer, at 9 am in English and 10:30 am in French.
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Teens and young adults will enjoy an exciting live musical performance at 6 pm with rapper Samian, born in Pikogan, a small Indigenous community in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
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Near sunset, at 7 pm, join in the conversation with experts from the Legacy of Hope Foundation at a virtual round table.
In addition to all these virtual activities, the Library’s collection includes a variety of resources on Orange Shirt Day and Indigenous culture that you can browse from the Indigenous web page.
Join other Ottawans on September 30 in a spirit of solidarity for a range of activities so that we can all better understand and work toward reconciliation. For more information, visit BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca.