I read the recent story in the Anchorage Daily News, “Catholic bishops apologize for church’s role operating Indian boarding schools,” written by Washington Post reporters Sari Horwitz and Dana Hedgpeth.
The right thing to do would have been for Alaskastate agencies, the Territory of Alaska and the federal government 50 years ago to also apologize for sending many Alaska Natives to the 400-bed psychiatric hospital, Morningside, in Oregon from 1903 to about 1967. But it has not happened.
Psychiatric patients at Morningside were required to work 12 hours a day and worked as house servants in the homes of hospital staff. In a 1958 report to Congress, patients were described as being treated like “slaves.” It is past the time for Alaska to apologize — there should be legislative recognition of the mistreatment of Alaskans over seven decades at Morningside.
— Dorrance Collins
Anchorage
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