The bipartisan Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (S. 1723/H.R. 7227)—one of three issues on which the NEA Board lobbied in May—overwhelmingly cleared the House Education and the Workforce Committee last week, putting it closer to a floor vote. A Senate committee has already advanced the measure, which would bring a measure of justice to Tribal citizens and Tribal nations.
From at least 1860 until 1978, hundreds of thousands of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were taken from their families and Tribes and enrolled in schools that were tools for colonization, assimilation, and genocide. Many of these children died, went missing, or were murdered. Survivors were often the victims of physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse.
In short, the schools were not places of education; they were tools for colonization, assimilation, and genocide.
The Washington Post published a front-page story on the issue shortly after the NEA Board visited Capitol Hill—another example of how important it is to raise our voices. Last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a formal apology for the church’s role in the “history of trauma” at church-run boarding schools.
Tell Congress what you think!
In solidarity,
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
The commission would help to fully reveal the impact of the boarding schools on the Native American children who were taken from their families and Tribes for forced assimilation.
CHEER:Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced a bill (S. 4363/H.R. 8426/S.4363) to secure the rights of public employees to organize, act concertedly, and bargain collectively.
JEER:Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, unveiled a plan for reauthorizing the Farm Bill that cuts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits by $30 billion over 10 years.
