Native Boarding Schools

Last week, FCNL hosted a faith leader fly-in in support of the Truth and Healing Commission Bill (HR 7325/S.761).

Unlike many Friends, I don’t have a clear memory of learning the history of Indian boarding schools. There was no memorable sit-down during my childhood when I was introduced to the more than one-hundred-year period when the United States government, in partnership with religious organizations, placed thousands of Native children in these schools. As a Native person, I suspect that isn’t unusual.

Halito F/friends!

The federal government shutdown has continued through October, doing immense damage to federal workers and the American people. While most legislative activity has been put on hold, FCNL continues to find opportunities for action. This month, consider writing Congress and asking them to pass S.761, the Truth and Healing Commission Bill!

Today, Senators Tim Kaine (VA), Adam Schiff (CA), and Rand Paul (KY) introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to prevent President Donald Trump from launching unauthorized military strikes on Venezuela.

The new resolution comes as the Trump administration continued its lawless killings in the Caribbean Sea this week while escalating tensions and threatening war with Venezuela.

New U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean Sea

On July 15, the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee passed the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies spending bill (H.R.4754). Tribal programs in the bill were largely funded at or above FY25 levels, despite the President’s budget request, which called for deep spending cuts to some Indian Country programs.

Faith-based organizations, including FCNL, signed a letter encouraging Congress to pass the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act to start confronting the truth about the boarding school era and building the foundation for right relationship.

Today, we’re focused entirely on our Native American legislative work. This Week in the World is a newsletter which covers breaking news, world events, and actions in Congress every Friday. If you want more updates on Native concerns, the Native American Legislative Update is a monthly newsletter which explores FCNL’s Native American policy advocacy and ways for you to engage your members of Congress.

We write to you as a group of U.S. Quakers who formed the Quakers and ‘Indian Boarding Schools’ Research Network (QIBS) in late 2022. Our collective purpose is to thoroughly research 19th-century Quaker involvement in assimilationist boarding schools, and to make our findings accessible to Native American families and tribes and to the Religious Society of Friends.

For the past five years, FCNL has been advocating for a bill to establish a truth and healing commission to investigate the U.S. federal government’s role in implementing Indian Boarding Era policies. From the early 1800s to the late 1960s, the U.S. government attempted to assimilate Native children into white culture. These policies stole Native children from their homes, their communities, and their cultures.

Today, Senator Peter Welch (VT) re-introduced legislation to restore U.S. support for UNRWA, the U.N. agency leading humanitarian aid operations in Gaza.