UWindsor Plans Orange Shirt Day Observance On Monday

The University of Windsor will host a series of events on Monday, September 30th, in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

Highlighting the day’s observances will be a talk by artist Teresa Altiman of the Walpole Island First Nation, who will share the inspiration and meaning behind her sculpture, “The Big Turtle,” located on the UWindsor campus.

The gathering will begin at 9:30am on the River Commons, where Altiman’s work is installed. The artist’s discussion will be followed by a campus walk leading to the raising of the Orange Shirt Day flag outside Chrysler Hall Tower. These events will honour survivors of residential schools, their families, and their communities, while also reinforcing the University’s commitment to truth and reconciliation.

“Orange Shirt Day is a national movement to raise awareness about residential schools and the stories of survivors,” says Kat Pasquach, Aboriginal outreach and retention co-ordinator at UWindsor. “It’s incredibly powerful to see how students and allies on our campus have embraced this opportunity to educate others about the importance of truth and reconciliation.”

In addition to the morning events, the Faculty of Law invites students and staff to gather at 1:00pm outside the Ron W. Ianni building, wearing orange shirts for a group photo to mark the occasion. Furthermore, the lights along Turtle Island Walk on campus will glow orange throughout the month of October as a continued symbol of remembrance and solidarity.

UWindsor’s involvement in Orange Shirt Day extends to the local community as well. On Saturday, Sept. 28th, a pop-up sale of T-shirts, toques, lawn signs, cookbooks, and buttons will take place at the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market with proceeds supporting Indigenous student programming.