- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
ISABELLA INDIAN RESERVATION — The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan will host a “Virtual Honoring, Healing & Remembering” event to commemorate the 87th anniversary of the closing of the Mt. Pleasant Industrial Boarding School on Friday, June 4, 2021 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon – EDT.
This event will be a virtual event. To join the event, visit: http://www.sagchip.org/miibs
Honoring, Healing and Remembering is typically held on the grounds of the closed boarding school, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic the event is being held virtually.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
The Virtual Honoring, Healing & Remembering event recognizes the suffering, strength and resilience of approximately 225 students that perished while attending the Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School.
“As the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan prepares for its Virtual Honoring, Healing & Remembering event. we are painfully awakened again to the shameful legacy of the American Indian Boarding School and the Canadian Indian Residential School era,” the Tribe said in a news release.
“The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan stands united in solemn respect with the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc community of British Columbia, Canada as they mourn 215 individuals discovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. A fitting tribute to these beautiful children will be offered as part of the Virtual Honoring, Healing & Remembering event,” the press release continued.
The Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School was established by an act of Congress, compelling Indian children to be removed from the care of their families to attend residential schools. The Mt. Pleasant Indian School operated from Jan. 3, 1893 until June 6, 1934, with an average enrollment of 300 students annually.
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan now owns the property of the closed boarding school.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
