WA Indigenous communities remember boarding school era, call for federal investigation

Indigenous leaders and communities across the U.S. and Canada continue to come together in person or virtually to reflect on the Indian Residential School system during the week of The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Also known as Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30 is a day of remembrance to honor those who were lost, killed and survived the schools. Created in 2013 by First Nations peoples in Canada to bring awareness to the horrors, cultural genocide and historical trauma that residential schools inflicted on their communities, the sorrowful holiday is also observed by U.S. Indigenous communities through events and moments of silence. At Peace Arch Park in Blaine, Native activists, allies and Tribal members gathered to share prayers and songs of healing Thursday, Sept. 30. Organized by Aletha Wilson of Lummi Nation and Thrisa Jimmy of the Nooksack Indian Tribe, the group of 40 participated in a two-minute, 15-second moment of silence beginning at 2:15 p.m. in honor of the 215 Indigenous children whose bodies were uncovered at Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia earlier this year.