Congress Formally Recognizes 'National Orange Shirt Week' to Honor Boarding School Survivors

This resolution formally recognizes the week of September 30th as “National Orange Shirt Week” or the “National Week of Remembrance.” This isn’t a new law that changes taxes or regulations, but a crucial step in official government acknowledgment, setting aside a specific week to honor the victims and survivors of the U.S. government’s historical Indian boarding school policies.

The History They Want Us to Remember

For those unfamiliar with the history, this resolution lays out the grim details of forced assimilation that spanned decades. Starting in the 1800s, the U.S. government funded hundreds of schools—often run by Christian organizations—designed specifically to strip Indigenous children of their culture, language, and identity. Children as young as three were forcibly removed from their families and sent far away to these institutions, like the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

The text details that this wasn't just a tough educational environment; it was often brutal. Children suffered severe physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. The resolution notes that many children died while at the schools, and the records are so poor that families still cannot locate the unmarked graves of their loved ones. During summers, children were frequently sent to non-Native homes for unpaid labor, essentially turning education into indentured servitude.

The Cost of Intergenerational Trauma

Why does acknowledging history matter today? Because the trauma didn't stay in the past. The resolution points out that these policies created deep, lasting trauma that continues to affect Indigenous communities today. We’re talking about higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Indigenous youth—rates comparable to those seen in combat veterans. This historical trauma is directly linked to disproportionately high rates of serious adult health issues like heart disease and diabetes in Native populations.

For the average person, this resolution is a formal recognition that past government actions created systemic health and social crises that Indigenous communities are still grappling with. It’s an acknowledgment that the separation of children from their culture—a practice that continued through programs like the Indian Adoption Project (1958–1967)—has real, measurable, negative impacts on people’s health and well-being today.

Laying the Groundwork for Accountability

While this resolution mainly focuses on establishing the annual remembrance week, it serves a larger purpose: signaling the need for accountability. The text explicitly mentions the continuing lack of public awareness and the need for a formal Federal commission. This commission would be tasked with investigating and documenting the full extent of these assimilation and termination efforts implemented under the Indian Boarding School Policies.

Think of this resolution as the first official step in a long process of truth and reconciliation. It doesn’t create the commission yet, nor does it allocate funds for it, but by formally recognizing the trauma and the need for investigation, Congress is setting the stage for future legislative action. For Indigenous communities, this is a moment of long-overdue visibility and official validation of their painful history.