The Sconi

Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) signed an executive order on Oct. 11 to formally apologize to the Native American community for sending their children to boarding schools in the state.

Since 2019, Wisconsin has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. The order apologizes for sending Native American children to boarding schools in Wisconsin and also supports the Department of Interior’s investigation into those boarding schools, following a discovery of the remains of over 1,300 children at a school in Canada. Native American children were sent to these schools to separate them from their cultures, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.

“BREAKING: Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, I’m signing an executive order to formally recognize and apologize for the tragedies inflicted upon Native American families and communities at boarding schools in Wisconsin and across the U.S," Evers said in an Oct. 11 Tweet. "As a state, we share responsibility and have a moral obligation to pursue the truth and to bring these injustices to light in Wisconsin and our country because that understanding and acknowledgment is essential for accountability and healing. This order supports Department of Interior @SecDebHaaland’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and investigation into boarding schools that once operated in our state and requests these investigations be undertaken in consultation with Wisconsin’s Native Nations. As governor and on behalf of our state, I am ready to be a partner in this work, to continue to respect the inherent sovereignty of Wisconsin’s Native Nations, and strive each day to build a more equitable, more just state.”

There were at least 10 boarding schools or day schools for Native American children in Wisconsin, told by the Wisconsin Examiner.

The Department of Interior is investigating the boarding schools, focusing on cemeteries and gravesites to “shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past.” Hundreds of thousands of Native American children were sent to these schools, beginning with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819. The investigation will conclude with a written report by April 1, 2022, according to a press release from the Department of Interior.