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Secretary Haaland calls for boarding school commission

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative in part, "to address the intergenerational impact of Indian boarding schools."
Department of the Interior
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says the federal government has a responsibility to Native American tribes, Alaska Native villages and Native Hawaiian communities to fully support education, language and cultural practices that prior boarding school policies sought to destroy.

She testified Wednesday before a U.S. Senate committee on legislation to establish a national commission on truth and healing to address ongoing trauma stemming from the legacy of Native American boarding schools in the United States.

Tribal leaders and advocates from Maine to Alaska and Hawaii joined Haaland in voicing their support. They say a commission would offer a path for many to have their personal stories validated.