FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 7, 2021                                                                             

CONTACT: Elana Needle
Email: [email protected]

WASHINGTON – The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative honors the contributions of indigenous peoples by celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 11, 2021, and co-sponsoring two complimentary virtual programs on Indian Boarding Schools to be held at 1:00 PM EDT and 7:00 PM EDT PM on that day.

First proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native Nations to the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Peoples in the Americas, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October in over 50 municipalities and 12 states.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day brings greater awareness to the contributions that American Indians have made to our country. It also highlights the plight of the Indigenous populations elsewhere in North, Central and South America who have never recuperated from the invasion and exploitation initiated by Columbus’ four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Anchor Collaborative are co-sponsoring two very special programs to help educate about the tragedy of the Indian Boarding School era. The forced assimilation and attempted eradication of Native people through compulsory “residential schools” with a policy of “kill the Indian, save the man” resulted in the loss of life, the loss of a generation of relatives, language speakers and culture bearers.

These programs will help educate about this horrific and brutal part of our past and discuss the Department of the Interior’s Federal Boarding School Initiative, as well as legislative efforts that will lead to truth-telling and healing.

To learn more and register for the complimentary programs, visit here. 

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^*The Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative includes the following leading national organizations (the Anchors): Advancement Project National Office, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Demos, Faith in Action, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Congress of American Indians, National Urban League, Race Forward, and UnidosUS. Supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we work together to promote racial equity, advance racial healing, and ensure that all children, families, and communities have opportunities to reach their full potential.