Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) signed a declaration of intent to create the State Tribal Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The 18-member commission will travel around the state to document the experience of Indian children in the child welfare system. The goal is to promote healing and make improvements in the system.

Denise Yarmal Altvater, a member of the Penobscot Nation, was placed in foster care along with her five sisters. She has been advocating for the commission for more than 13 years.

“We tried to tell the state what was happening to us, but no one believed us,” Altvater told The Bangor Daily News of the abuse her and her sisters suffered.

LePage signed the declaration with leaders of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, and the Penobscot Nation.

Get the Story:
LePage, tribes to explore child welfare abuses (The Bangor Daily News 5/25)