These institutions left a lasting impact on generations in both the U.S. and Canada, where they were called residential schools. In Canada, Sept. 30 is Orange Shirt Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, first recognized in 2021. Events honoring Indigenous lives lost and those who never returned home, events are planned throughout Indian Country.
As we continue to learn more about the impact of boarding schools, efforts to uncover the full scope of their legacy are finally coming to light. Through the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, we are seeing the extent of the harm done to countless children and their families. Stewart Huntington has the latest on this multi-year investigation by the U.S. Department of the Interior, shedding new light on this difficult history.
As we uncover more about the legacy of boarding schools, we see communities taking action to honor those who were lost. In Rapid City, South Dakota, a unique park is being constructed on the grounds of a former boarding school. Shirley Sneve visited the site to see how this land is now being transformed into a place of remembrance and healing.
The Phoenix Indian School, which operated for nearly a century, once forced Native children to leave their cultures behind. Now, its remaining buildings stand as symbols of resilience, reclaimed by Indigenous communities. Daniel Herrera has the story of this transformation.
The Interior led an investigation of the history and legacy of boarding schools. Huntington leads a roundtable discussion with ICT National Correspondent Mary Annette Pember, an enrolled citizen of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Dana Hedgpeth, Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, a reporter with the Washington Post.
This newscast was created with work from:
Frank Blanquet, Yucatec Maya, and Sahar Khadjenoury, Navajo, from FNX — First Nations Experience.
Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.
Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is the senior producer for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska.
Ebonye Delaney is the Executive Producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: ebonye@ictnews.org
Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblo, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: paris@ictnews.org.
Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast.
Quindrea Yazzie, Diné, is a video production editor for the ICT Newscast. Email: qyazzie@ictnews.org. Yazzie is based in Phoenix.
Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a video editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera
Pauly Denetclaw, Diné, is a political correspondent for ICT. Email: pauly@ictnews.org
Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org