Letter to the Editor: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act

Ayukîi (Hello!),

As we celebrate Indigenous people’s week here at Cal Poly Humboldt, seeing the resilience and beauty of indigenous culture and knowledge. I would like to recognize the institutional violence that persists between the federal government and Indigenous communities.

For over a century, hundreds of thousands of Native children were taken from their families and placed in federally-sponsored boarding schools, experiencing violence and abuse.

I urge Representative Jared Huffman, Senator Alex Padilla, and Senator Dianne Feinstein to encourage their colleagues to co-sponsor the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act (H.R 5444/S. 2907).

As a native student who is a descendant of boarding school survivors, I urge fellow students here on campus to examine the history of the United States and collectively come together to urge legislation that is part of reconciliation and healing measures needed within our communities.

Yôotva (Thank you),
Anne Rants