Xe Xe Smun' Eem - Victoria Orange Shirt Day

Xe Xe Smun'eem - Victoria Orange Shirt Day is an annual event held on September 30 in the City of Victoria to honour and recognize residential school survivors.

Eddy Charlie is a member of Quw' utsun (Cowichan Nation), a former student at Kuper Island Residential School and a graduate of Indigenous Studies at Camosun College.

In 2015 while attending the Indigenous Studies program at Camuson College, Eddy Charlie and friend Kristin Spray brought the idea of an Orange Shirt Day ceremony to the school.

For seven years, Eddy and Kristin have worked side by side as survivor and friend to make visible the colonial history of these lands, the impacts of the residential school system and the ongoing oppression of Indigenous people in Canada.

Eddy and Kristin have made enormous contributions to the Orange Shirt Day movement. Together, they have volunteered tens of thousands of hours to raise awareness about residential schools, meeting with community groups, public officials, schools and many more working to honour survivors.

Contributions to this GoFundMe campaign go directly in support of Eddy and Kristin in their year-round work, the costs associated with the annual Victoria Orange Shirt Day ceremony in Victoria, and honoraria for community members and survivors, in addition to all other costs related to bringing awareness and education around residential school survivors.

The Design:

This design was created by local Indigenous artist Bear Horne of the Tswaout Nation and gifted to Eddy and Kristin to be used in their work of raising awareness about residential schools.

Horne’s design features a bear to help us follow the right path, an eagle to help us envision a bright future, a hummingbird to keep our mind, body and spirit healthy, and a flower to feed the connection of all these elements.

For more information or to order a shirt, please visit Victoria Orange Shirt Day