The Nebraska State Capitol will be lit orange later this month to honor Native survivors and descendants of those who attended a federally run boarding school in Genoa.
State officials said the lighting of the state Capitol, which had been set for Thursday, was moved to Feb. 27 due to “unsafe conditions” on the Capitol’s roof.
The Legislature in 2022 designated Feb. 20 as an annual day of remembrance for those impacted by the Genoa Industrial School.
The boarding school in Nance County operated from 1884 to 1934 as part of a federal policy to forcibly assimilate Native children into Western culture through schools across the United States and Canada.
Children from more than 40 tribal nations were brought to Genoa. It was the fourth largest non-reservation Native boarding school in the United States.
The color orange is associated with Native boarding schools, symbolizing the loss of culture, freedom and …