Steilacoom Historical Museum Association announcement.
Dr. John Hopkins of St. Martin’s University will present a Zoom talk on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00.
His topic will be “Understanding Hard Truths: The Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools in Washington State and Its Moral Claim on Us.”
Many of us are aware of Canada’s recent reckoning with its past educational approach to Indian children. How do we understand the hard truths of our own state’s history both personally and institutionally? Hard truths make a moral claim on us and reveal our ethical possibilities. What is needed to understand the truths that disturb our familiarity within the settler society? How do we tackle the facts, documents and testimonies that inform us of hard truths.
Dr. Hopkins, citizen of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, philosopher, author and professor at a local Benedictine university is in a unique position to evaluate, inform and speak to our moral responsibilities. As an educator at a Catholic school he will discuss the story of Indian boarding schools in Washington and how each of us can find a way to empathize, understand and move forward with the history of our past.
This grant is supported with ARPA funding provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Register for the talk at www.steilacoomhistorical.org by May 21 and a zoom link will be sent to you.
