Lansing, Michigan, US – September 30, 2025

Acknowledging a Painful History

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has officially proclaimed September 30, 2025, as the ‘Native American Boarding School Day of Remembrance’ in Michigan. The proclamation serves to publicly acknowledge the brutal legacy of the federal and church-run institutions that forcibly stripped American Indian children of their Indigenous identities, languages, and cultures in a widespread effort toward assimilation.

The action by the Governor aligns with the national observance, often called the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools or Orange Shirt Day, which originated in Canada as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It honors the children who suffered and died while attending the schools, as well as the survivors and their families who continue to grapple with profound intergenerational trauma.

Headline Points on the Proclamation

 * Official Recognition: Governor Whitmer issued a formal proclamation designating September 30 as a Day of Remembrance to honor victims and survivors of the boarding school era.

 * Forced Assimilation: The proclamation explicitly cites the federal policy from 1819 through the 1960s that funded over 526 boarding schools across 38 states, including eight in Michigan, with the goal of erasing Indigenous identities.

 * Intergenerational Trauma: It highlights that the forced removal of children as young as three and the severance of cultural ties caused deep, lasting trauma that continues to affect Michigan’s Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities today.

 * Search for Closure: The proclamation acknowledges that many children who died at the schools or nearby hospitals were buried in unmarked graves, leaving families with no closure.

 * Call for Healing: The Governor stresses that further research, funding, and public education are necessary to fully understand the systems that supported the boarding schools and to bring justice and healing to survivors and their descendants.

Michigan’s Ongoing Efforts for Truth and Healing

The proclamation reinforces Michigan’s commitment to confronting this history. The state has previously dedicated funding for a statewide study to research the number of Native American children forced to attend boarding schools in Michigan, the number of children who were abused, died, or went missing, and the long-term impacts of these policies.

This day of remembrance encourages all Michigan residents to reflect on the painful historical period and the continuing impact it has on Native American communities. It serves as a call for solidarity with boarding school survivors and descendants, advocating for accountability, preservation of records, and the necessary steps for collective healing.