On this day while much of the country observes Independence Day, has their BBQs, and pops fireworks to celebrate freedom, it’s a brutal reminder of the roots of this country for Indigenous people. As Indigenous people, we have a long way to go to be truly free. We are still imprisoned by racism, false narratives & denial of our history. Recently many of you may have seen stories about the boarding “schools” in Canada and here in the States. The role of these “schools” was to assimilate the native children, hair was cut, traditional clothing burned, mouths washed out with lye soap when they spoke their language & given names changed. Physical and sexual abuse was common. Kids were starved and suffered from disease. Many never returned home, their bodies buried in unmarked, sometimes mass graves. It was a policy put forth by our own government to “Kill the Indian, save the man” and it was carried out in the name of Christianity. Today, I ran a 5K with my sisters and we wore orange in remembrance of those children who never made it home. On one arm, 1505+ was written which signified the number of children found so far buried in unmarked graves at these “schools.” On the other arm I wore 497, which is the number of “schools” in Canada and the US that have yet to be searched. We also ran to bring awareness to our history and to educate naysayers to accept that these atrocities did in fact happen! When people accept that the these horrendous actions were conducted by our own government and churches, then maybe they will begin to understand their Indigenous neighbors. It’s not till we are regarded as equals and our history is recognized that we will begin to finally feel like we are accepted on our own homeland. Until then remember: We are the descendants of the people that you tried to eradicate. We are the “Merciless Indian Savages” that the Declaration of Independence talks about. It is through the strength & resiliency of our ancestors that we are here today. We owe those ancestors and the children that never returned home to have their own families, everything. We will do what we can to bring them home, and ensure they are honored because their lives mattered too!