The Native American boarding school era is a stain on our national history that has been allowed to lurk in the shadows of the American narrative for far too long.
Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate will consider the passage of the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2023. This act would be an important step toward national accountability for government policies that sought to destroy tribal communities and cultures by tearing families apart.
A 2022 Department of Interior report revealed that the United States operated or supported 408 boarding schools between 1819 and 1969. These schools were designed to force assimilation by punishing students for using their language, sharing their culture or practicing their religion.
Some families voluntarily sent their children to these schools. Others did so only after federal officials threatened to remove tribal lands, among other consequences.
Sadly, some of the children who left for school never returned, and their families never knew what happened to them. At least 53 burial sites for children were found in this preliminary investigation. More are expected to be uncovered if a full investigation occurs.
Religious institutions partnered with the federal government to run about half of these boarding schools. Several Protestant denominations and Catholic groups are fully supporting this effort to investigate this dark period of American history.
As people of faith, we want to do everything we can to help bring about reconciliation. Setting up a commission to investigate the operation of these schools is a necessary step on the path to national healing.
Our Indigenous neighbors deserve to know what happened to their children. We all need to hear first-hand accounts from survivors and the lasting impact on families and tribal nations of this century-long assault on Indigenous culture.
Our nation cannot move forward until we are willing to confront this chapter of American history.
The vote tomorrow on S.1723 will be conducted using a method known as “hotlining.” This expedited method of bringing a bill to the floor requires unanimity in the Senate. Any single Senator can block the bill.
If the bill fails tomorrow, it can still be reintroduced for a traditional floor vote or attached to another legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act. If it passes, we will turn our attention to the U.S. House of Representatives as the bill must pass both chambers of Congress.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship urges those who care about this issue to contact their U.S. Senators today and ask them to support S.1723. Like our neighbors to the North, it is time to bring this period of history out of the shadows and into the light.
Many Americans who studied U.S. history in high school and college never learned about this American era. It has lived in the deep recesses of American memory for far too long.
Tribal nations have been asking questions for generations. The religious community has stepped forward to seek answers.
Now it is time for Congress to lead this moment of national reconciliation and create a Truth and Healing Commission with the mission and authority to investigate this attempted, intentional destruction of our Indigenous communities and recommend a path forward.
