Orange Shirt Day, or National Day for Truth and Reconciliation or National Day of Remembrance, is observed yearly on September 30 in Canada and the United States. This year (2022), Recovery Is Happening’s Peer Recovery Support Specialist and Annishinaabe woman from Sagkeeng First Nation, the Eagle Clan, Maria Sontag, shared part of her story at an event supporting the “Every Child Matters” movement as a part of Orange Shirt Day. In addition to being in recovery for substance use disorder, Maria shared with attendees, “I am the Daughter of Residential School Survivors and I am a 60’s Scoop Survivor.”

Maria was one of two speakers. Participants enjoyed Indian fry bread tacos while listening to the music of Leonard McCracken. While the realities remembered on this day are harsh and brutal, there were many smiles as we built community together across many perceived lines of difference. To learn more about this important movement visit these resources:

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/every-child-matters-september-30-orange-shirt-day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixties_Scoop

https://uniteforchange.com/en/blog/indigenous/every-child-matters/

https://www.candormedia.org/articles/every-child-matters-remembering-indigenous-lives-lost-to-colonization-genocide