On Sept. 30, students from the Washington College of Law gathered in front of the WCL Capitol Building Front Lawn to observe Orange Shirt Day, a Canadian day of memorial created to recognize the effects of the Canadian residential school system on the Indigenous community.  The event was hosted by American University organizations including the WCL Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

According to the description of the event on Engage, the students were commemorating Indigenous people who survived residential schools. They were witnessing and honoring the healing journey of the survivors and their families and remembering the children who died during this experience.

During this event, grad students wore orange shirts sold by NALSA that said “Unmarked but Unforgotten.” Proceeds from the shirts are going to NALSA’s Alternative Spring Break Trip to the Navajo Nation to provide legal support, according to the event posting on Engage. The shirts were worn to honor the Indigenous children who had to go through the residential school experience and the healing journey of the survivors. Eugene Bell, a grad student at WCL, helped organize the event. He gave a speech about the brutal experience that Indigenous children went through in residential schools and honored their healing by ending his speech with a moment of silence.

Correction: NALSA stands for the Native American Law Students Association. A previous version of the article incorrectly referred to it as the Native American Indigenous Student Association.