Tuesday evening, Native community members in Bemidji will gather for two reasons: to remember those impacted by boarding and residential schools and to pay tribute to a community leader.

An official state proclamation marks Sept. 30 as the Day of Remembrance for Survivors and Families Impacted by United States American Indian Boarding Schools.

The yearly event will be held at the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues on the waterfront of Lake Bemidji. Since 2021, the community has come together, wearing orange shirts and holding candles as the sun begins to set.

This year, alongside the honoring, community members will pay tribute to Red Lake Nation citizen Simone Senogles, a founding member of MMIW 218 — an organization in Bemidji addressing concerns around Missing and Murdered Indi

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