September 30, 2022 -- The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a Canadian statutory holiday to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system.
It was first established as an observance in 2013 as part of an effort to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and its impact on Indigenous communities for over a century. The impact of the residential school system has been recognized as cultural genocide and continues to this day.
Phyllis Jack Webstad, whose personal clothing—including a new orange shirt—was taken from her during her first day of residential schooling and never returned, inspired the use of an orange shirt as a symbol.
The orange shirt symbolizes the forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced. The day was elevated to a statutory holiday by the Parliament of Canada in 2021 in light of the revelations of over 1,000 unmarked graves near former residential schools.
For Scarborough Tees, reconciliation includes suspending sales of our Land Acknowledgement collection, and as advertised, all net proceeds will be donated to the Indigenous Spirit Fund. For more information, click here.
We have also chosen to use our platform to highlight two Toronto-based Native designed, owned and operated clothing brands. Support these small business by shopping at the links provided in the logos below.
AN AUTHENTIC NATIVE CLOTHING BRAND
Resist Clothing Company is an urbanized native clothing brand, based in Tkaronto, Turtle Island - Treaty 13 Territory.
Pre&Peri is a line of streetwear apparel and other goods featuring Indigenous-designed motifs inspired by woodland art, nature, traditional teachings and dreams.