On Orange Shirt Day, September 30th, we pause to remember the forced removal of our parents, grandparents, and loved ones from their homes. It began in 1879, when Richard Pratt opened Carlisle Indian Industrial School, modeled on the carceral practices of his prison regime at Fort Marion, FL, where Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Arapaho, and Caddo men were incarcerated, to “kill the Indian, save the man.”

Having worked within prison systems and in reentry, it is hard for me not to compare the boarding school theft of our youth to the experiences of so many of our children today. Too much trauma echoes the past and present experiences of Native children in educational systems.

We lose too many children to the school-to-prison pipeline. Within educational systems, educators disproportionately respond to and punish our Native and Black children at higher rates than other racial groups. Our children begin this school-to-prison pipeline journey labeled delinquent and experience disproportionate rates of violence as they move from school to prison.

As we heed the call to remember that Every Child Matters and to prevent the erasure of our ancestors’ boarding school history and experiences, let us also be mindful of today’s educational systems. Respond to the call to act on today’s system. Ask your children’s teachers and principals why they have not implemented the Since Time Immemorial curriculum. Testify in support of legislation like Washington’s HB 2065, which attempted–but ultimately failed–to retroactively eliminate juvenile sentencing points. Begin your healing journey by participating in offerings that address intergenerational trauma, such as White Bisons Mending Broken Hearts. Most importantly, share and receive the stories of our Elders before they are no longer with us, so that we may ensure our families’ and communities’ history is known to future generations.