History’s scars laid bare at former Indian boarding school

By ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ
The Denver Post

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — The scars of history were laid bare in a recent ceremony at Fort Lewis College: The removal of plaques depicting a false narrative of Native American children at what was once an Indigenous boarding school. The inscriptions claimed Native students who were taken from their homes and cultures by the U.S. government in an effort to assimilate Indigenous children received “extremely good literary instruction” while participating in enriching activities. A committee of Fort Lewis employees, students and community members charged with reckoning with the school’s dark past decided the offending panels needed to go. The committee has initiated discussions about how to properly handle the search for the potential remains of children who attended the boarding school.