IV 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 53 

Expressing the sense of Congress that September 30th be observed as the 

designation of a national day of remembrance for the Native American 

children who died while attending a United States Indian boarding school 

and recognize, honor, and support the survivors of Indian boarding 

schools, their families, and communities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mr. COLE, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. O’HALLERAN, 

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. CASE, Mr. KAHELE, 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, and Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that September 30th be 

observed as the designation of a national day of remembrance for the Native American children who died while 

attending a United States Indian boarding school and 

recognize, honor, and support the survivors of Indian 

boarding schools, their families, and communities. 

Whereas over 200 years ago, the Act entitled ‘‘An Act making provision for the civilization of the Indian tribes adjoining the frontier settlements’’, approved March 3, 


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1819 (3 Stat. 516, chapter 85) (commonly known as the 

‘‘Civilization Fund Act’’), was enacted and ushered in 

devastating policies and practices designed to assimilate 

American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian 

children by removing children from their families and Native communities throughout the United States; 

Whereas that Act intended to resolve what was commonly referred to in the United States as the ‘‘Indian problem’’ 

and provided for the unjust belief of many that Native 

people needed to be ‘‘civilized’’ and that education would 

be the appropriate vehicle to enact assimilationist policies 

on Native American people; 

Whereas numerous church- and government-operated boarding schools were established on and off Indian territories 

and homelands to house and educate numerous Native 

American children through policies and practices that 

sought to eliminate the cultural identity of Native children and assimilate them into mainstream American society; 

Whereas according to the Native American Rights Fund in 

a Summer/Fall 2013 Legal Review, Volume 38, No. 2, 

Native American families were torn apart by the removal 

of Native American children, either voluntarily or forcibly, from their homelands and communities to attend Indian boarding schools located across the country; 

Whereas many parents of boarding school children were forbidden to contact or visit their children, compounding the 

problem of isolation that negatively impacted and continues to impact the lives of many Native children, families, and communities; 


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Whereas the Native American Rights Fund Summer/Fall 

2013 Legal Review also reported that an unidentified 

number of Native children died at Indian boarding 

schools due to abuse, neglect, malnourishment or disease, 

and many of those children were buried far from their 

homes in unmarked graves or under tombstones that 

misidentified or ascribed to them Anglicized names; 

Whereas many of the parents of children who died at Indian 

boarding schools were never informed of the fate of their 

children; 

Whereas according to the report entitled ‘‘Trigger Points, 

Current State of Research on History, Impacts, and 

Healing Related to the United States’ Indian Industrial/ 

Boarding School Policy’’ and dated November 2019, 

issued by the Native American Rights Fund, many survivors of boarding schools have testified that Indian 

boarding schools stripped Native American children of 

their traditional cultures, languages, and religions by forbidding them to wear traditional clothing, speak their indigenous languages, or practice their cultural, religious or 

spiritual beliefs, and many boarding schools are known to 

have severely punished children who violated these policies through verbal, psychological, and physical abuse; 

Whereas many survivors of Indian boarding schools and families of children who attended those schools have recounted details of the physical, sexual, and psychological 

abuse that countless Native American children endured 

while attending the schools; 

Whereas according to the report entitled ‘‘The Problem of Indian Administration’’ and dated February 21, 1928, 

issued by the Institute for Government Research (commonly known as the ‘‘Meriam Report’’), many Indian 


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boarding schools sent students to nearby communities for 

forced manual work as servants or farm laborers, and the 

operation of many Indian boarding schools was supported 

by the labor of the students; 

Whereas the Federal policy of Indian assimilation and education has proven to be a disastrous failure and a national tragedy; 

Whereas, as stated in the report entitled ‘‘Indian Education: 

A National Tragedy—A National Challenge’’ and dated 

November 3, 1969 (Senate Report 91–501), issued by 

the Special Subcommittee on Indian Education (chaired 

by Senator Edward M. Kennedy) of the Committee on 

Labor and Public Welfare of the Senate (commonly 

known as the ‘‘Kennedy Report’’), ‘‘the dominant policy 

of the Federal Government toward the American Indian 

has been one of coercive assimilation’’ that had ‘‘disastrous effects’’ on the education of many Native American 

children; 

Whereas in 2018, the United States Commission on Civil 

Rights reported that many American Indian and Alaska 

Native people suffer from intergenerational trauma as a 

result of policies and practices of Indian boarding schools 

that alienated many children from their families, traditional cultures, languages, and religions, and deprived 

those children of their true identities and heritage; 

Whereas while early assimilationist policies were eventually 

eliminated and Indian boarding school attendance has 

greatly diminished since its apex, the impact of this 

shameful period in United States history still affects the 

lives of many Native American people today; 


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Whereas many Native American people are still suffering 

from and trying to comprehend and cope with direct 

trauma, including impacts on health and well-being, and 

the intergenerational trauma, that resulted from losing 

connection to family, culture, language, religion, and heritage; 

Whereas significant research shows that adverse childhood 

experiences, such as the experiences of many Native 

American children who attended Indian boarding schools 

and the descendants of such children, can cause numerous negative health outcomes, increase suicide rates, and 

other harmful outcomes throughout life; and 

Whereas recognition that healing and care for the mind, 

body, and spirit is essential to overcoming the dark shadows of United States history of Federal Indian 

assimilationist policies and practices that were carried 

out by the Federal Government through Indian boarding 

schools, and acknowledging the lived experiences of the 

Native American children and families who endured and 

continue to endure the trauma and grief associated with 

Indian boarding schools: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) supports the designation of a national day 

4 of remembrance for the Native American children 

5 who died while attending a United States Indian 

6 boarding school; 

7 (2) recognizes, honors, and supports the sur8 vivors, families, and communities of children who at9 tended such schools; and 


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1 (3) encourages the people of the United States 

2 to— 

3 (A) support and recognize the grief, pain, 

4 and hardship many Native American people 

5 suffered and still endure as a result of the 

6 assimilationist policies and practices carried out 

7 by the United States through Indian boarding 

8 school policies; 

9 (B) honor the legacy of and remember 

10 those who were lost or harmed by Federal as11 similation policies and practices; and 

12 (C) appreciate the resilience of the sur13 vivors and their families with appropriate cere14 monies, programs, events, and other activities 

15 to support and commemorate with a national 

16 day of remembrance. 

Æ 


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