“Keep the Conversation Going”: NMH Shows Solidarity on Orange Shirt Day

Northfield Mount Hermon recognized the experiences of Indigenous students and communities across North America on Friday, when the campus observed Orange Shirt Day.

Orange Shirt Day, officially known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, recognizes the ordeals of Native students forced to attend government-mandated residential schools in Canada and the United States.

NMH students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to wear orange to show solidarity with Native classmates and to highlight ongoing efforts to recognize and reconcile the multigenerational trauma caused by the residential school system.

“A lot of people don't really know that residential schools were a thing; it’s not really taught in a lot of classrooms,” said Niayla Curley ’26, whose grandmother is a residential school survivor. “It’s important to me to make sure that stories like my grandmother’s get out there.”

From the late 1800s through much of the 20th century, Indigenous children were removed from their families and placed in government- and church-run residential schools. There, they were forbidden to speak their languages, wear traditional clothing, or practice cultural traditions.

Orange Shirt Day began in Canada in 2013 and became a statutory holiday in several provinces by 2023. Today, it is recognized by organizations and government bodies across North America.

Although the annual international date is Sept. 30, NMH’s Native Affinity Group observed the day on Sept. 26 this year to avoid conflict with the school’s long weekend and to draw visibility during NMH’s Fall Family Days event.

“I think it’s really important to keep the conversation going,” said Piper McGrath ’28. “A lot of people talk about it in the past tense, but it’s still a very relevant thing. The effects of that trauma continue to affect people to this day.”

Curley said she hopes to see more classmates take active interest in movements like Orange Shirt Day.

“I think actions speak a lot louder than words,” she said. “If people really want to engage in this movement and help bring recognition, I would appreciate more direct involvement.”

Philosophy teacher Wil Chuch, the faculty advisor for the Native Affinity Group, said recognition is only a first step toward addressing the issues that continue to affect Native communities.

“What other fix is there, other than to do tangible, real actions?” Chuch asked. “That could be at the individual level, in the way schools allocate money or support kids from Native communities. It could be on a national level, through reparations like land-back movements or universal support for tribes. I think there's never too far enough that you can go to make something right that was so wrong.”

– Max Hunt