September 30th is Orange Shirt Day and has been declared annually, in recognition of the harm done by the residential school system, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters. Rogers has commissioned Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter to design a special orange t-shirt in honour of National Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Orange Shirt Day.

Hunter explains the meaning behind this year’s design.

“Each feather represents the four directions and the seven Grandfather teachings, as they are both recognized concepts by most Indigenous cultures in Canada,” said Patrick Hunter, who designed the t-shirt. “Eagle feathers are given to those that have gone above and beyond in service to their community. The feathers arranged in a sun formation would signify that those who didn’t make it out of the schools are with the universe now and not forgotten and we honour their lives.”

The orange t-shirt continues to be available at tsc.ca/wewearorange, with all net proceeds going to Orange Shirt Society to help the non profit expand Indigenous education across Canada.

Since August 7th, 5,000 orange t-shirts were sold over a two-month long fundraising campaign, raising nearly 100K to help support Orange Shirt Society.

The Algoma District School Board is also commemorating Orange Shirt Day by providing resources and activities for students, teachers, and the community which can be found here.

More information on Orange Shirt Day can be found at www.orangeshirtday.org