Parent Network of WNY observes Orange Shirt Day each year on September 30, as a way to honor Indigenous children who attended residential schools, remember those who never returned home, and listen to survivors and their families. It is an opportunity to learn about a painful history—and to consider how we can support children’s identities, family connections, and sense of belonging today.
The day grew from the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor in Canada. At six years old, she arrived at school wearing a new orange shirt purchased by her grandmother. School staff took the shirt away. Her story became the inspiration for Orange Shirt Day and its message, “Every Child Matters.” The orange shirt represents the dignity and identity that these institutions attempted to take from Indigenous children.
Although Orange Shirt Day began in Canada, it also provides an opportunity to examine the history of Native American boarding schools in the United States. The two countries operated distinct systems, but both used institutions to separate Indigenous children from their families and pressure them to abandon their languages, traditions, and identities.
In the United States, government and religious organizations operated schools intended to assimilate Native children into the dominant society. These policies disrupted relationships between children, parents, and communities, interfering with the passing of language and knowledge from one generation to the next. In its 2024 investigation, the U.S. Department of the Interior identified 417 federally operated or supported boarding schools and documented at least 973 deaths of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children who attended them.
In Western New York, this history includes the Thomas Indian School on the Seneca Nation’s Cattaraugus Territory.
Established in 1855 as the Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Indian Children, the institution initially operated privately with some state assistance. New York State assumed ownership in 1875, and the institution was renamed the Thomas Indian School in 1905. It remained open until 1957. Children entered through several routes, including referrals from parents or guardians, welfare agencies, and courts.
Its history also reflects a shift toward assimilation. According to the Presbyterian Historical Society, early instruction included the Seneca language, but after state control began, the institution prohibited that language and forcibly removed children from their families. Students later followed a schedule that divided their day between classes and work.
Remembering the Thomas Indian School helps us recognize that this history is part of our own region. Understanding it requires listening to the people and communities whose lives it affected.
Turning Remembrance into Everyday Action
We can observe Orange Shirt Day by wearing orange, reading Indigenous-authored books, learning local history, and supporting Native-led educational and language preservation efforts. When survivors choose to share their experiences, we can listen with care and respect.
For families, educators, and organizations supporting children, this day also offers a responsibility: to build relationships that respect family knowledge, welcome parents’ participation, and affirm children’s identities.
Indigenous communities continue to sustain their languages, traditions, and connections across generations. Honoring that strength belongs alongside acknowledging the harm.
Every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and connected to the people and traditions that help them understand who they are.
If you would like more information or ways to support healing, we encourage you to contact Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, https://www.nacswny.org/
References:
Orange Shirt Society. (n.d.). Orange Shirt Day.
https://orangeshirtday.org/about/orange-shirt-day/
Orange Shirt Society. (n.d.). Phyllis’ story.
https://orangeshirtday.org/about/phyllis-story/
New York State Archives. (n.d.). Thomas Indian School.
https://www.archives.nysed.gov/creator-authority/thomas-indian-school
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). (n.d.). Presbyterian-affiliated Native American schools.
https://pcusa.org/historical-society/collections/research-tools/subject-guides/affiliated-native-american-schools
U.S. Department of the Interior. (2024, July 30). Secretary Haaland announces major milestones for Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.
https://www.doi.gov/node/58981
