Around this time last summer, historic protests came to Laramie when Black Lives Matter exploded across the nation with renewed vigor. These protests were historic because of their widespread nature and showing up in areas from urban city centers to rural communities.
“We wanted to make sure that everyone knows Black Lives Matter is not a city only group. We are everywhere and we’ll work for equity for all,” Black Lives Matter protestor, Richard Chafe, said.
This year, a new wave of protests surrounding the treatment of Native Americans in Canada have appeared.
On May 27, at least 215 Native children were uncovered from unmarked graves at a residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Less than a month later, 751 more unmarked graves were located at another residential school in Saskatchewan.
Six days later, another 182 unmarked graves were found at a school in Cranbrook, British Columbia.
Historian Christian Luther, from The Plains Indian Museum in Cody, WY, said, “One thing you need to know about these schools is that they held a very specific philosophy. It wasn’t teaching. It was forcing assimilation. Kill the Indian by making them embrace European traditions and culture.”
Luther said that the residential schools in Canada are not too different from the boarding schools populating the US.
“While I can’t officially say they are unmarked graves or those terrible things here, I can say similar practices were used. It’s a dark history,” said Luther.
Because of these recent discoveries, there were a variety of protests and marches formed in Canada to fight for the remembrance of the children who died at the residential schools. Some of those protests have found their way south in the United States.
However, a year removed from the BLM protests, it does not seem Laramie will be joining in.
“I think we’re far enough removed that it comes off as a ‘them’ problem and not an ‘us as well’ problem,” Luther said. “We’re exposed to violence on black communities daily. But the stories of the Native Americans go a bit undertold at times.”
There has been no public news regarding any plans to formulate protests in alignment with the cause so far.
Laramie Human Right Organization, a group involved in the Black Lives Matter work of last year, could not be reached for comment and has posted no information regarding this subject to any of their public accounts.
The Native American Heritage Center here at the University of Wyoming has hosted programs in the past. These include a talk on violence towards Native Americans and Missing women just last month.
The center could also not be reached for comment at this time and their forward-facing sites hold no information, either.
“It’s a bit disappointing not to see the same support for this as other protests, but I understand it,” Luther said. “I’m just glad it’s getting attention and being discussed at the very least.”
Stay tuned for any updates regarding protests in Laramie from the organization on and the Branding Iron website.
