Charting a Path Forward: Boarding School Symposium

This event is organized by the Syracuse University collaborative “Not in the Books” and is designed to boost awareness of this issue and spark a dialogue for ways to aid in the healing process.

The program opens with Javin Cappela, an Onondaga teen, delivering a traditional Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address. Professor Aaron Luedtke (Department of History) will then deliver a presentation on the Department of the Interior’s Investigative Reports on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the lack of public attention this investigation is receiving. Then, residential school survivor and Haudenosaunee intellectual Doug George-Kanentiio will share his own experiences with boarding schools. Bishop Lucia will then talk about the Catholic Church’s involvement in this history and the Pope’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. Last, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Freida Jacques will deliver a talk about charting a path forward from this ongoing trauma. We’ll then open it up as a roundtable dialogue with the audience.

Transportation is provided (if needed) for students; it will depart from in front of Sims Hall at 1:30 p.m. and return by 6:30 p.m. To register for bus transportation, sign up in the Wellness Portal through the registration link.