Native Boarding Schools

On Wednesday, Congress convened a special joint session to hear from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu sought to rally even greater U.S. military support for a war that continues to inflict unprecedented suffering on the people of Gaza.

We are halfway through 2024, and global warming is continuing to break records, with scientists increasingly predicting that this year could surpass 2023 as the hottest year. One thing is abundantly clear: climate change is more than a potential threat—it is here.

In a bipartisan vote on June 13, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (H.R. 7227) passed the House Education and Workforce Committee 34 to 4. This is a major win for Native American communities, survivors, and their descendants, who were terrorized by these policies for decades. The bill now needs to be approved by two other committees for a floor vote.

FCNL hailed the recent bipartisan vote in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to pass the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act.

As Iranian writer Dina Nayeri said, “It is the obligation of every person born in a safer room to open the door when someone in danger knocks.”

This week, President Joe Biden took bold action to provide protections and opportunities for many of our undocumented neighbors.

In a major win for Native survivors and communities, Congress took an important step forward last week in the journey to reconciliation and healing from the harms of the Indian boarding schools era.

On Thursday, June 13, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (H.R. 7227) passed the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in an overwhelming 34-4 vote. 

FCNL’s network has been a crucial force in pushing this legislation forward. We must continue to build momentum.

This week, Congress took an important step toward addressing the painful legacy of Indian boarding schools.

On Thursday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (H.R. 7227) with overwhelming bipartisan support.

We hope Congress will move swiftly to bring this bill to the floor and pass it so that we can begin the long overdue work of truth, justice, and healing for Native communities.

During Spring Lobby Weekend, March 16-19, 2024, we asked several participants why they lobby for The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (H.R. 7227/S. 1723).

The United States has never acknowledged the historic trauma and pain of the Indian boarding school era—a dark chapter in our history full of terror and cultural genocide against Native children, families, and their communities.

From the early 1800s through the 1960s, Christian churches collaborated with the federal government to create hundreds of boarding schools which Native American children were forced to attend. The conditions at these institutions were horrific—yet, the federal government has never conducted a full exploration of the harms and impacts of this federal policy.