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The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Working for Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation for Boarding School Survivors and Descendants

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You are here: Home / Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act

Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act

Support the truth and healing commission.

Why a Truth and Healing Commission

We have a right to know the truth of what happened in Indian boarding schools in the United States.

Over the course of a century, hundreds of thousands of our children were taken or coerced away from our families and Tribes and forced to attend government-sanctioned Indian boarding schools. These schools were tools of assimilation and cultural genocide, resulting in the loss of language and culture and the permanent separation of children from their families. To date, there has never been an accounting of:

  • the number of children forced to attend these schools;
  • the number of children who were abused, died, or went missing while at these schools; and
  • the long-term impacts on the children and the families of children forced to attend Indian boarding schools.

We have a limited amount of time to hear directly from survivors and record their stories. A Congressional Commission is needed to locate and analyze the records from the 367+ known Indian boarding schools that operated in the U.S. A Commission would also bring together boarding school survivors with a broad cross-section of tribal representatives and experts in education, health, and children and families to fully express and understand the impacts of this federal policy of Indian child removal.

“The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the U.S. Act would provide an important avenue for an investigation about the losses that occurred through the Indian Boarding School Policies and the lasting consequences of the violence of this attempted genocide. Only through a formal investigation which includes meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations and significant input from survivors and their descendants, can the US begin to reconcile with the past and can tribal communities begin to move toward healing from the egregious abuses which occurred,”

- Juana Majel Dixon, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Board Secretary and Traditional Councilwoman of the Pauma Band of Mission Indians

Background

NABS was formed in 2012, in part to advocate for the establishment of a federal commission on U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Canada’s Residential Schools. For years, NABS has been part of a grassroots movement of Native academics, researchers, tribal leaders, and boarding school survivors and descendants who are seeking truth, justice, and healing. The work to introduce a congressional commission has been underway for almost a decade.

The announcement by U.S. Interior Secretary Debra Haaland of the Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Truth Initiative in June this year is an important first step in the federal government taking accountability for revealing the truth, but we believe a Congressional Commission is the most comprehensive approach to developing a complete picture of the ongoing impact Indian boarding schools have had on generations of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people. This is critical to providing a path toward healing for individuals, families and Tribal communities that have endured the devastating consequences of Indian boarding school policies.

Download Commission Fact Sheet

Download SEven Weeks of Action Tooklit

NABS has conducted independent research for nearly 10 years and has identified at least 367 schools that operated in the U.S. We only know the location of records for 38% of the 367 schools and only a fraction of those records have been analyzed.

Read our publication Healing Voices Volume 1: A Primer on American Indian and Alaska Native Boarding Schools in the U.S.

Key Provisions of the Bill

  • Examines the location of children
  • Documents ongoing impacts from boarding schools
  • Locates church and government records
  • Holds culturally-appropriate public hearings to collect testimony from survivors and descendants.
  • Institutional knowledge gathering from subject matter experts
  • Shares findings publicly
  • Provides a final report with a list of recommendations for justice and healing

How to Support

  • Resolutions: Work on having your Tribal Nation, organization, city, or other legislative bodies pass a resolution in support of a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools. If you are interested in templates for a resolution, please see the "resolutions" section below.
  • Political engagement: We encourage you to reach out to your Tribal Council, Senators, Representatives, national, state, and local politicians and speak with them about the history of Indian Boarding Schools, how they have impacted your family, and what you would like to see done on the topic. You can set a meeting with legislators, send emails, or start a letter or phone campaign.  
  • Spread the word: Share posts from @nabshc on Instagram and Twitter. Help build the grassroots movement for #TruthJusticeHealing from Indian boarding schools.

On May 12, 2022, the House Natural Resource Subcommittee held a hearing on the Truth & Healing Bill. Click here to watch the full hearing.

Co-sponsors

Senate (26) Expand
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) AK
  • Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) WI
  • Sen. Michael Bennet (D) CO
  • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) CT
  • Sen. Cory Booker (D) NJ
  • Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) WA
  • Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D) PA
  • Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D) IL
  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) CA
  • Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) NM
  • Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) CO
  • Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) HI
  • Sen. Mark Kelly (D) AZ
  • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) MN
  • Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D) NM
  • Sen. Edward Markey (D) MA
  • Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) NV
  • Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) OR
  • Sen. Patty Murray (D) WA
  • Sen. Alex Padilla (D) CA
  • Sen. Jacklyn Rosen (D) NV
  • Sen. Brian Schatz (D) HI
  • Sen. Tina Smith (D) MN
  • Sen. Jon Tester (D) MT
  • Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) MD
  • Sen. Ron Wyden (D) OR
  • Sen. Richard Durbin (D) IL
House (86) Expand
  • Rep. Tom Cole (R) OK-04 - Bill Co-lead
  • Rep. Pete Aguilar (D) CA-31
  • Rep. Karen Bass (D) CA-37
  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) OR-3
  • Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D) OR-01
  • Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) NY-16
  • Rep. Salud Carbajal (D) CA-24
  • Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D) CA-29
  • Rep. Troy Carter (D) LA-2
  • Rep. Judy Chu (D) CA-27
  • Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D) MA-5
  • Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D) MO-5
  • Rep. Steve Cohen (D) TN-9
  • Rep. J. Luis Correa (D) CA-46
  • Rep. Charlie Crist (D) FL-13
  • Rep. Danny K. Davis (D) IL-7
  • Rep. Madeleine Dean (D) PA-4
  • Rep. Peter DeFazio (D) OR-4
  • Rep. Suzan DelBene (D) WA-1
  • Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D) CA-11
  • Rep. Dwight Evans (D) PA-03
  • Rep. Anna Eshoo (D) CA-18
  • Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D) NY-13
  • Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D) NM-3
  • Rep. Ruben Gallego (D) AZ-7
  • Rep. Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia (D) IL-4
  • Rep. Al Green (D) TX-9
  • Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R) VA-9
  • Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D) AZ-3
  • Rep. Josh Harder (D) CA-10
  • Rep. Brian Higgins (D) NY-26
  • Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) TX-18
  • Rep. Jared Huffman (D) CA-02
  • Rep. Sara Jacobs (D) CA-53
  • Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) WA-7
  • Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) SD
  • Rep. Henry "Hank" Johnson Jr. (D) GA-4
  • Rep. Kaiali'I Kahele (D) HI-02
  • Rep. Ro Khanna (D) CA-17
  • Rep. Derek Kilmer (D) WA-06
  • Rep. Daniel T. Kildee (D) MI-5
  • Rep. Ron Kind (D) WI-3
  • Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) AZ-02
  • Rep. Al Lawson Jr. (D) FL-5
  • Rep. Rick Larsen (D) WA-02
  • Rep. Barbara Lee (D) CA-13
  • Rep. Mike Levin (D) CA-49
  • Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D) CA-19
  • Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence (D) MI-14
  • Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12)
  • Rep. Betty McCollum (D) MN-04
  • Rep. James McGovern (D) MA-2
  • Rep Grace Meng (D) NY-6
  • Rep. Gwen Moore (D) WI-4
  • Rep. Joseph D. Morelle (D) NY-25
  • Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R) OK-2
  • Rep. Grace Napolitano (D) CA-32
  • Rep. Joe Neguse (D) CO-2
  • Rep. Marie Newman (D) IL-3
  • Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) DC
  • Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D) AZ-1
  • Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) MN-5
  • Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D) NJ-6
  • Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D) AK- At Large
  • Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) ME-01
  • Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D) MA-07
  • Rep. Mark Pocan (D) WI-02
  • Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R) AS-At Large
  • Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) MD-8
  • Rep. Deborah Ross (D) NC-2
  • Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) FL-27
  • Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider (D) IL-10
  • Rep. Brad Sherman (D) CA-30
  • Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury (D) NM-1
  • Rep. Greg Stanton (D) AZ-9
  • Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D) WA-10
  • Rep. Darren Soto (D) FL-9
  • Rep. Adam Smith (D) WA-9
  • Rep. Mark Takano (D) CA-41
  • Rep. Dina Titus (D) NV-1
  • Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) MI-13
  • Rep. Paul Tonko (D) NY-20
  • Rep. Ritchie Torres (D) NY-15
  • Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D) NY-7
  • Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) NJ-12

Resolutions in Support

Visit this page or expand below to see the most current list of Tribal, City, and Organizational resolutions supporting the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the U.S. Act.

Resolution List Expand

International Organizations:

  • International Indian Treaty Council: Resolution Calling For the U.S. to Investigate impacts of U.S. Boarding School Policies

National Organizations

  • National Congress of American Indians: Support for a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools
  • American Bar Association: Resolution in support of the Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and to Enact the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policy Act
  • National Indian Health Board: Boarding School Healing Resolution
  • Native Justice Coalition: Statement and Support for The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act

Regional Organizations

  • Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians: Support for the creation of a National commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • California Nations Indian Gaming Association: Support a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Inc.: Support a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • Great Lakes Intertribal Council: Support for the Enactment by the United States Congress of a Bill to Create a Commission on American Indian Boarding School Policy
  • Indian Health Council: Support for a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Inc.: Support for the Establishment of a National Commission to Investigate and Report to the United States Congress on US boarding school policies
  • Montana and Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council: Support a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association Inc.: Support a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • State of Minnesota Indian Affairs Council: Support for a Congressional Hearing to investigate and report to the U.S. Congress on the impacts of US Boarding School Policies
  • United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.: Support for a National Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies
  • Washington Education Association: Support of the Establishment of a National Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools

Tribes

  • Blackfeet Nation: Support Congressional Efforts to Pass legislation approving the Truth and Healing Commission on US Indian Boarding School Policy
  • Cahuilla Band of Indians: Support the Creation of a Commission on US Indian Boarding School Policy
  • Coeur d'Alene Tribe: Statement of Support for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and Bolstering Initiatives
  • Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians: Support for an investigation and report on US Indian Boarding School Policy
  • San Manuel Band of Mission Indians: Support for an investigation and report on US Indian Boarding School Policy
  • Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska: Support for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and Bolstering Initiatives
  • Tulalip Tribes of Washington: Statement and Support for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and Associated Efforts
  • Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians: Statement and Support for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and Bolstering Efforts
  • Ute Mountain Ute Tribe: Support for a Commission on Indian Boarding School Policy

Tribal Colleges

  • Diné College: Support for an Investigation and a Commission on U.S. Indian Boarding Schools

Cities

  • City of Seattle: A Resolution supporting the creation of a U.S. Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools

Pass your own resolution

Interested in passing your own resolution? Download one of our resolution templates here:

For Tribes
For Organizations
For Cities
For Faith Groups
Basic Resolution Language
List of Endorsements Expand
  • Alaska Federation of Natives
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN)
  • American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)
  • Americans for Indian Opportunity
  • Association on American Indian Affairs
  • Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW)
  • Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
  • Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
  • Dr. Alan Ray, Citizen of Cherokee Nation (does not represent the Nation; endorses only for himself)
  • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
  • Faith Action Network
  • First Alaskans Institute
  • Fort Belknap Indian Community
  • Franciscan Action Network
  • Friends Committee on National Legislation
  • Inter Tribal Association of Arizona (ITAA)
  • Interfaith Network for Indigenous Communities (INIC)
  • Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
  • Margo Gray, Chairwoman, United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas
  • MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
  • Montana Women Vote
  • National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
  • National Coalition of Native Language Schools and Programs
  • National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
  • National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
  • National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
  • National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC)
  • National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS)
  • NCUIH
  • NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
  • Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
  • Red Cloud Indian School
  • Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, President, United Lutheran Seminary
  • Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council
  • Saokio Heritage
  • Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB)
  • Seven Religious Congregations and Denominations (the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, the Episcopal Church, the
    Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Franciscan Action Network, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the Office
    of Race Relations of the Christian Reformed Church of North America, and the General Board of Church and Society of the
    United Methodist Church)
  • St. Joseph Mission School
  • The Boulder, Intermountain, New York, and Southeastern Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends
  • The Episcopal Church
  • The Leadership Conference of Women Religious
  • The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
  • Transvisible Montana
  • Tulalip Tribes
  • United American Indian Involvement, Inc.
  • United Tribes of Oklahoma Kansas and Texas
  • United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF)
  • Upstander Project
  • Shawnee Tribe

Read More About the Bill

House Bill (H.R. 5444)
Senate Bill (S. 2907)
Info Sheet
Endorsements and Quotes of support

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