401: Testimony from a Boarding School Survivor
3:00-4:00 pm
General Track 1
Ki Nswe’-Ki Nye;w
Mtg Rooms 3&4
Linda Raye Cobe will share a personal experience of loss of culture, family, identity, and childhood. “It is a journey to find answers, myself, and my way back home. My education has enabled me to understand how intergenerational trauma has impacted my life and our people, and to find the courage to speak truth to power.”
“I believe public K-12 education has little to no curriculum that describes the history of boarding schools in the US. It is important to continue to raise awareness of Michigan's history of Indian Boarding Schools.”
Lead By:
Linda Raye Cobe (Lac Vieux Desert), MPA
Linda Raye Cobe is a proud Elder of the Lac Vieux Desert Tribe of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, a mother of 4, and a grandmother of 17. Linda is a Survivor of 2 painful chapters in Native American history: Boarding School and the “60s Scoop” or Indian Adoption Project. Linda earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master of Public Administration from Northern Michigan University. She courageously shares her story in her self-published autobiography, Red, White & Blues, offering personal insight into the intergenerational impact of these colonial systems. Her advocacy includes speaking to audiences at schools, faith-based and grassroots organizations, participating on panels to raise awareness, and providing testimony to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland at her Healing Tour event. Linda resides in Naubinway with her husband and enjoys walking her Labradoodle, sewing, crafting, and spending time with friends.