On September 30, the All Out Strike will take place after months of protests and civil unrest against systemic racism sparked from the deaths of many Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) at the hands of police, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
According to its official Facebook page, All Out September 30th is to “commemorate Orange Shirt Day and to strike to support Indigenous & Black students, staff, and faculty, at our post-secondary educational institutions.”
In an Instagram Live session, York Federation of Students (YFS) Vice-President of Campaigns and Advocacy Jessie Whyte says it’s “a group of Indigenous, Black, racialized, and allied students, staff, faculty and people, all across the board, who are joining together to strike for a number of different demands.”
YFS Vice-President of Operations, Riaz Nandan chimes in: “You know we have a collective of Indigenous, Black, and racialized student leaders from across the province of Ontario and Canada. We’re your student union, we gotta protect our most marginalized people and advocate for them. It’s gonna be a huge movement and honestly I can’t even do it justice by talking about it.”
“I really encourage everyone to follow All Out on social media to make sure you’re staying up to date with the demands and the testimonies that are coming in,” Whyte further adds.
We encourage all community members to reflect on the meaning and importance of this day, to honour the Indigenous children and families who suffered greatly, and those who died, because of the racist residential school system in Canada.
According to their website, the annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30 opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of residential schools. It’s an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of residential schools and the legacy they have left behind.
“Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself,” their website states.
Whyte further echoes the Orange Shirt Day efforts by encouraging students to participate in learning initiatives that will take place during the strike.
“We’re going to learn a lot about Orange Shirt Day, the day speaks to the experiences of residential schools. I really encourage everyone to join our teach-ins, there’s a lot to be learned that day,” Whyte says.
York’s Deputy Spokesperson Yanni Dagonas says the university recognizes the importance of the day. “We encourage all community members to reflect on the meaning and importance of this day, to honour the Indigenous children and families who suffered greatly, and those who died, because of the racist residential school system in Canada.”
The host of the Instagram live session, YFS Vice-President of Campus Life Jaskarn Duhra elaborates further on the post-secondary education system.
The entirety of the education system means education reform. We know how discriminatory the education system is.
“My favourite campaign is actually our ‘education for all’ campaign, eliminating all the systemic barriers to accessing post-secondary education,” Duhra says.
Nandan further echoes Duhra’s sentiments, stating: “We have such a diverse and rich campus culture and that is because of the people.”
According to Duhra, the entirety of the education system means education reform. “We know how discriminatory the education system is.”
Dagonas states that York recognizes its responsibility to help build a more equitable and inclusive community. The university is actively engaged in identifying and implementing additional strategies to fight racism. “We will continue to bring forward initiatives, programs and education that help create a more equal university experience for all,” Dagonas adds.
“I think these incremental steps are great for educating people, but in effect puts little pressure on the university because of how much money and power they have. Though I don’t think any of that undermines this show of student solidarity, every step is important,” states Gunes Agduk, a third-year theatre student.
Dagonas adds that members of the York community “who wish to be out of class or miss work for any reason, including the All-Out action, should refer to the university policies in place related to absences.”
