‘Always in our hearts’: September is an important month for boarding school survivors - ICT
‘Always in our hearts’: September is an important month for boarding school survivors - ICT
‘Always in our hearts’: September is an important month for boarding school survivors - ICT
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/6114669
For Ponka-we Cozad, the National Day of Remembrance for Indian boarding school survivors is personal.
Members of her family attended boarding schools and shared hurtful stories about their days in the schools.
“In some way, shape or form, as Native peoples, we all have a story to share about the Indian boarding school era,” said Cozad, director of policy and advocacy at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Cozad is Tohono O’odham Nation of Arizona and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
“This is why I’m doing this work; when we talk about something always being in our hearts, it’s personal,” she told ICT.
The annual National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian boarding school survivors on Sept. 16 in Washington, D.C., with a special event sponsored by the coalition, known as NABS, from 5-7 p.m. EST at the Indian Gaming Association building.
The theme of this year’s event is “Always in our hearts.”
A number of other gatherings are scheduled across Indian Country to commemorate the Day of Remembrance with vigils, prayers, and other events in museums, churches and local communities.