Temple Beth Israel's Racial Justice Committee is co-sponsoring this event as part of the IAIA - The Interfaith Alliance for Indigenous Advocacy.
Gabriann “Abby” Hall, an ethnic and Native studies instructor at Central Oregon Community College and enrolled member of the Klamath tribes, inspired the documentary, which was produced and written by OPB’s Kami Horton.
Through arduous research, Hall discovered that she is a descendent of three generations who were placed in Indian boarding schools. The 60-minute documentary shares Hall’s story while providing rare glimpses of historical photographs and film from private collections.
The U.S. government was complicit in maintaining the residential boarding school system during the 19th and 20th centuries to ensure the assimilation of young Native children and youth into American society. Many of those children—from preschoolers to teens—were forcibly removed from their homes and transported to facilities hundreds of miles away from family. A majority of the 526 American Indian Boarding Schools were church-operated. School personnel would starve, beat, and abuse the children into submission.
The first Indian Boarding Schools in Oregon began on reservations in the mid-1850’s, and expanded to off-reservation schools in 1879, continuing for more than a hundred years.
Using Hall’s story as a lens, Horton examines the intergenerational trauma as well as the strength and resilience of the children and descendants who have demonstrated powerful acts of resistance to the systemic oppression of their cultural values and traditions.
Following the screening, Horton, who will be present at the screening, discuss her research and writing process and hold a question-and-answer session.
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