University of Winnipeg Unveils New Orange Shirt Design Ahead of Truth Day

UPDATE: The University of Winnipeg has just announced a compelling initiative to commemorate the upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. The university will distribute 500 free orange shirts featuring a powerful new design by local artist Micaela Gilbert, representing healing and a hopeful future.

This year’s shirt design showcases a jingle dress dancer, symbolizing good medicine, alongside a young grass dancer. Gilbert, an artist from the Sagkeeng First Nation, expressed her honor in capturing the essence of Orange Shirt Day through her artwork, stating, “I thought this (the design) would be a good way to represent our journey of healing and creating a new path for our youth to learn, remember, and to honour the meaning of Orange Shirt Day.”

Grace Redhead, director of Indigenous community relations at the University of Winnipeg, shared the institution’s commitment to updating the shirt design every two years. “The artist was a vendor here at a market we had last year. She has amazing artwork and stationery,” Redhead said.

As part of the initiative, the University of Winnipeg Students Association (UWSA) has begun distributing the shirts to the community. President Alan Koshy emphasized the importance of this effort, stating, “It is a way for us to come forward, take part, and join hands in this effort in understanding and reconciling for all the discrimination and institutional horrors that have happened.”

Students are responding positively to the initiative. Rowan Keagan, a student in the Faculty of Education, remarked on the accessibility of the free shirts, saying, “It’s really great for everyone to get that.”

The distribution of these shirts aims to foster a sense of community and solidarity. Redhead noted the significance of seeing individuals wearing orange shirts, saying it signals to her that they are allies and empathetic friends.

With the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation just around the corner, this initiative is a vital step toward honoring the past and promoting healing. As the university prepares for this day of remembrance, it invites the community to participate in healing together.

Stay tuned for more updates on this important event as the university continues to engage with the community leading up to September 30.