Furman Justice Forum lobbies for change on Capitol Hill

Nine students from the Furman University Justice Forum joined hundreds of other young people from across the country in Arlington, Virginia, March 16-19 to lobby United States senators and representatives about the harmful legacy of the Indian Boarding School era as part of Spring Lobby Weekend 2024. The trip was organized by the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

The trauma inflicted by the Federal Indian Boarding Schools of the early 1900s on Indigenous children for practicing their own cultures and languages has been passed down through generations of Native Americans, said Lydia McCarty ’24, president of the Furman Justice Forum.

McCarty was joined in in Norther Virginia but Xavier Johnson ’24, Addison Wood ’27, Julia Turner ’24, Georgia Whiteside ’24, Caroline Brawley ’24, Abijah Leamon ’24, Jada Walker ’24 and Harper Lumpkin ’27.

Truth and healing

McCarty was aware of the schools, which sometimes employed cruel methods to “civilize” or assimilate Native American youth into Anglo-American culture, from a History of Education in America course in Fall 2023. She and her fellow student lobbyists got much more insight during seminars with experts on Indigenous issues and advocacy leaders from the Friends Committee.

“In some sessions, I was moved to tears just hearing people’s stories,” McCarty said. “It’s not just the children who died or were abused, but the generational trauma that has led to a lot of the outcomes we see in Native communities today.”

By the time the students reached Capitol Hill, they were armed will facts and persuasive skills to lobby for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, a bipartisan bill that was reintroduced in Congress in February 2024. If passed, the act would establish a commission to investigate, document and acknowledge the true histories of the schools.

“It would allow people to examine the role of the federal government and different religious organizations in these boarding schools,” said McCarty, who is also a Furman Fellow and a peer mentor in Furman’s Pathways Program. “And it would give the commission subpoena power to ask, ‘How many kids died? Where are they buried? What happened?’”

Overall, the Furman group’s meetings with staffers in the offices of U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott and U.S. Rep. William Timmons were productive, McCarty said. Even though there were no Indian boarding schools in South Carolina, the Furman students pointed to the university’s Land Acknowledgement and its Task Force on Slavery and Justice as proof that such issues matter in the state.

One encouraging sign: The mini-fridge in Scott’s office had a Furman magnet, McCarty said. The staffer for Scott promised to bring the act to the senator’s attention, as did Graham’s aide. The staff member in Timmons’ office was not previously aware of the boarding school issue, but also promised to put it before the congressman.

“The way our democracy functions, you have to make your voice heard,” said David Gandolfo, an associate professor of philosophy at Furman. “Lydia has been exploring ways to do that and, as a student leader, helping others to figure out how to use their voices.”

The trip to Washington was one of more than a dozen events McCarty and the Furman Justice Forum organized, Gandolfo said. The university assisted on the trip by providing funds so students could attend regardless of their ability to pay. “All voices need to be heard and the Furman Advantage makes sure that all of our students find ways to do that,” he said.

Not one to let a good opportunity go to waste, McCarty also seized the chance to connect with several D.C.-area Furman alumni she found with the help of the Malone Center for Career Engagement. One highlight was meeting Davis Cousar ’20, the founding president of the Furman Justice Forum.

“I met with a number of people who worked on Capitol Hill and could give me really meaningful support and feedback,” said the senior, who is double majoring in French and politics and international affairs. “The alums at Furman are really, really willing to help, because they know that in D.C., it’s who you know that helps you get a job.”

McCarty came home from D.C. with interviews lined up in several Congressional offices. Her goal is to find a position where she can positively influence policies that she believes in, whether it be in the government or nonprofit sectors.

And running for office herself is always an option.

“Maybe someday,” she said. “Call me in a decade.”