Stafford County Museum Library will host “A History of the American Indian Boarding Schools,” a presentation and discussion by Eric Anderson, on Sunday, June 1, at 2 p.m., at 100 N. Main in Stafford. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the museum, 620-234-5664, for more information. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.
Renewed calls for investigations into the abuses to American Indian children have brought new scrutiny to the boarding school system.
This talk will examine the thinking behind the creation of federal schools for youth including Haskell Indian Nations University, originally known as the United States Indian Industrial Training School, and how this system affected Native communities in the short and long term. The American Indian story is one of cultural survival, but what are the next steps for reckoning with this difficult and painful part of our national history?
Eric Anderson is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and professor of history at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence.
“A History of The American Indian Boarding Schools” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
