As an adult, Ramona Klein had taken two of her friends’ children to the movie theatre to a movie when the 7-year-old girl started fussing and becoming upset.
“I held her and at that moment I realized what had been taken away from me,” said Klein, a survivor of the Federal Indian Boarding School system that for 150 years separated Native American families in the United States in an effort to break of their families and force them to assimilate. “I needed to be held. I needed to be nurtured. This little girl helped me understand that, and to heal.” 
Klein was the first speaker of Fort Lewis College’s inaugural Indigenous Policy Institute, where students will explore selected policy areas and engage with guest speakers from local, regional, Tribal, and national contexts throughout the spring.
From survivor to policy leader
Klein, Ph.D., an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and vice president of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, shared her experience as a boarding school survivor and her journey to becoming a policy leader.
“The Indigenous Policy Institute is an opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to engage with real policy leaders. Ramona has a lot of experience working on the national level advocating for change as a boarding school survivor, testifying to Congress,” said Matthew Schaeffer, Tribal Nations Coordinator.
Learning policy from learned experience
Klein attended Fort Totten Indian Boarding School, federally funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, from 1954 to 1958. At FLC, she talked about her experience living in the dormitory, the classroom, and being separated from her family.
“I shared about the cultural life that we could have had, and the great impact of the separation of my family. We didn’t grow up with each other even though we were at the same institution.”
“We need to know this part of our history. I would say about 98% of indigenous people have experienced boarding schools, either personally or through their families,” said Klein. “I made it my mission to educate the word.”
Klein recently finished a book, which she hopes will be published in Spring 2027.
The Indigenous Policy Institute continues throughout the spring with guest speakers and discussions designed to connect policy with lived experience and community priorities.
Upcoming speaker events include:
- Naomi Miguel & Sedelta Oosahwee on Thursday, February 19th, 1-2pm in Sitter Family Hall 710
- Alex Zhao & Elise Blasingame, Ph.D., Thursday, March 5th, 1-2pm in Sitter Family Hall 710
For additional information about FLC's reconciliation efforts visit visit FLC’s Reconciliation Office website.