A host of local organizations came together Thursday to mark Orange Shirt Day and give meaning to the phrase “Every Child Matters” at a gathering held at the site of the new Ska:Na Family Learning Centre in Chatham.
Orange shirt day is founded on the experience of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who as a six-year-old had a new orange shirt, given to her by her grandmother, taken away on the first day of school.
It’s become the symbol of the thousands of Indigenous children, who did not come home, and are buried in unmarked graves across the country.
Sept. 30 is also Canada’s first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The date is now a federal statutory holiday.
The new centre, located near the site of the former Chatham jail, will have 49 child-care spots, as will its sister centre in Wallaceburg. Both buildings are slated for completion in mid-October.
