Tuesday, July 9, 2024 – Notable progress for boarding school survivors

For the first time, a bill to create a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian boarding schools has reached the floor of the U.S. Senate. A companion bill is working through the U.S. House. The concept of an official panel to look into the abuses of boarding schools has surfaced previously but failed to take hold. The action comes as the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is launching a database of documents, photographs, and other records to help survivors and others connect understand the full weight of the boarding school era. And an important event to promote healing from Canada’s residential school era is taking place in Ontario. Some voices in Canada are calling for residential school “denialism” be criminalized.

GUESTS

Fallon Carey (Cherokee Nation), interim digital archives manager for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Edward Washines (Yakama), member of the Washington State Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee

Eleanore Sunchild (Thunderchild First Nation), Cree Indigenous lawyer practicing law in Calgary