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- By Native News Online Staff
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition on Thursday welcomed the introduction of a bipartisan House measure aimed at addressing the legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies in the United States.
House Resolution 7325, titled the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, is the House companion to Senate Bill 761. The legislation would establish a commission to investigate the federal government’s role in the Indian boarding school era and recommend steps toward accountability and healing.
For more than a century, government-funded and church-run boarding schools removed Native children from their families and communities in an effort to assimilate them, suppressing Indigenous languages, cultures and identities. The impacts of those policies have resulted in intergenerational trauma that continues to affect Native communities today.
“This bill is about truth, accountability, and healing,” said Dr. Ponka-We Victors-Cozad, director of policy and advocacy for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. “For too long, the stories of survivors and families have been ignored. This commission will ensure that our voices are finally heard, and is a positive step toward healing for survivors, descendants, and our entire Nation.”
Under the proposal, the commission would conduct a comprehensive investigation into the federal Indian boarding school system, locate records related to Native American children, and work to provide answers to families and Tribal Nations. The bill also calls for centering the experiences of boarding school survivors in the historical record.
The commission would be tasked with producing a public final report and making recommendations to Congress on potential reforms, reparative actions and support for Native communities.
Supporters say the legislation reflects growing bipartisan momentum, with backing from Tribal Nations, survivors, faith-based groups and organizations nationwide calling on Congress to confront the history of Indian boarding school policies and their lasting consequences.
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