Honoring Orange Shirt Day: Remembering Indigenous Children of Boarding Schools

September 30 is the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, also known as Orange Shirt Day. This annual observance honors Indigenous children taken from their families and placed in U.S. and Canadian boarding schools, where many suffered abuse and cultural erasure. The day is named for Phyllis Webstad’s story of surrendering her orange shirt on her first day at a residential school.

The ELCA invites us to join the Truth and Healing Movement, a commitment to confronting this painful history and standing with Indigenous siblings in Christ. Learn more at Living Lutheran: Orange Shirt Day article.