After years of effort, an orange shirt commemorating the victims of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 residential school system is now on permanent display in the B.C. legislature.

The framed shirt was presented at a ceremony on Oct. 27 and features a quote by residential school survivor Eddy Charlie and a design by Indigenous artist Bear Horne.

B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 define a moment like that with words,B次元官网网址� Charlie said. B次元官网网址淲hen I think about this ceremony, I can only think about the community and the (more than) 150,000 children who went to residential schools B次元官网网址� I really want Canada and people all across the world to think about this.B次元官网网址�

Charlie said the project started two years ago when he and co-founder of the Victoria chapter of Orange Shirt Day, Kristin Spray, were approached about displaying a flag designed by Horne in the legislature to honour residential school survivors. But Charlie said he did not feel there was a relationship of reconciliation strong enough for him to be OK with a flag being displayed.

He felt a shirt bearing the design B次元官网网址� which features a bear to guide people on the right path, an eagle to help people have a vision of a bright future, the hummingbird to keep the mind, body and spirit healthy, and the flower to feed the connection of all the other elements B次元官网网址� would be more appropriate and still facilitate a move toward reconciliation.

READ MORE: VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Orange Shirt Day is born out of trauma, friendship and hope

Having the shirt on display in the legislatureB次元官网网址檚 Hall of Honour is an important step toward reconciliation, Charlie said, but it is far from the only thing needed to achieve that goal.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one small step toward healing between two different cultures and two different communities,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淗aving that shirt on display with my quote is incredibly powerful B次元官网网址� every orange shirt worn by Indigenous people carries a lot of grief.B次元官网网址�

Charlie said he hopes people who see the display go home and think about the residential schools and the impact they had on Indigenous peoples and have honest conversations about truth and reconciliation.

The fact the B.C. government is willing to display the shirt gives Charlie B次元官网网址渇aint hopeB次元官网网址� things will improve.

B次元官网网址淚 believe that tiny bit of hope can go a long way to opening up more conversation.B次元官网网址�

Support for survivors and their families is available. Call the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066, or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line. The KUU-US Crisis Line Society also offers 24-7 support at 250-723-4050 for adults, 250-723-2040 for youth, or toll free at 1-800-588-8717.