Lynda Dobbin-Turner

Tyson's New Orange Shirt Lynda Dobbin-Turner

The last day of September, Tyson got ready for school, only to find that his Mom wanted him to wear a different shirt. An orange shirt! Tyson wasn't very happy about it, so his Mom had to explain just why it was important that on September 30th he wore orange. In Canada, for over a hundred years, Indigenous children were sent away to be educated in what is now known as the Indian Residential School System. Devised by the government, to 'kill the Indian in the child', these schools were often miles and miles from where they child's family resided. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has uncovered and documented many of the atrocities that took place in those institutions. It has exposed the intergenerational trauma that is the system's legacy. Tyson's New Orange Shirt tells the story of how his Mom explained to him the importance of recognizing the impact on children and how in a different time, Tyson might have been one of those kids!