Biden Apologizes for Federal Indian Boarding School Policies

Biden apologizes for the federal Indian boarding school policy, acknowledging its lasting trauma on Indigenous peoples.
Biden delivers historic apology for Indian boarding schools • Daily Montanan

“After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the program, but the federal government has never formally apologized for what happened,” Biden said. “Until today — I formally apologize, as president of the United States of America, for what we did.”

Biden’s apology was greeted with enthusiasm, marking him as the first president in a decade to visit a Tribal Nation. He emphasized that the apology was overdue and fittingly delivered at a tribal school within an Indigenous community rich in culture and tradition.

“I have a solemn responsibility to be the first president to formally apologize to the Native peoples, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans and federal Indian boarding schools,” he said. “It’s long, long, long overdue. Quite frankly, there’s no excuse that this apology took (150) years to make.

Biden highlighted the deep scars left by the federal Indian boarding school policy, noting it as a profound national shame. “For those who went through this period, it was too painful to speak of,” he said. “For a nation, it was too shameful to acknowledge.”

“This formal apology is the culmination of decades of work by so many courageous people,” Biden said, recognizing the boarding school survivors and descendants present.

“I know no apology can or will make up for what was lost during the darkness of the federal boarding school policy,” Biden said. “But, today, we’re finally moving forward into the light.”

The apology at Gila River Crossing School followed an investigation into Native American Boarding Schools launched three years earlier by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She was introduced as “Auntie Deb” and emphasized the importance of remembering ancestors’ resilience.

“We tell those stories because Native American history is American history,” Haaland said.

The Department of Interior released the final boarding school report in July, offering eight recommendations for healing tribal communities. Chief among them was a call for the U.S. to acknowledge and apologize for its role in harmful boarding school policies.

“Today is a day for remembering, but it’s also a day to celebrate our perseverance,” Haaland said. “In spite of everything that has happened, we are still here.”

Haaland highlighted the trauma inflicted by these schools, where Indigenous children were forcibly taken from families. She stated that every Indigenous person she knows bears the impact of these policies.

“This is the first time in history that a United States cabinet secretary has shared the traumas of our past, and I acknowledge that this trauma was perpetrated by the agency that I now lead,” Haaland said. “For decades, this terrible chapter was hidden from our history books, but now our administration’s work will ensure that no one will ever forget.”

Haaland launched the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative in 2021 to bring to light this dark chapter. The initiative featured reports and visits to Indigenous communities to document survivors’ experiences.

Haaland noted the “loud and unequivocal truth” revealed by the investigation: the deliberate efforts to separate Indigenous children from their families and erase their cultures.

“As we stand here together, my friends and relatives, we know that the federal government failed,” She said. “It failed to annihilate our languages, our traditions, our life ways. It failed to destroy us because we persevered.”

The report urged Congress and federal agencies to act, with Haaland noting some recommendations are underway. The Department of Interior is collaborating with other departments to preserve Native languages and develop a national plan guided by tribal leaders.

Haaland also highlighted a partnership with the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition to document boarding school survivors’ narratives, ensuring future generations understand the impacts and intergenerational trauma.

During Biden’s speech, a protester interrupted, raising concerns about Gaza. The protest was met with mixed reactions, but Biden allowed the protester to speak, acknowledging the issue.

‘It was long overdue’

Crystalyne Curley, speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, reflected on the apology, recalling stories from her grandfathers about boarding school trauma. “It’s a bittersweet moment,” Curley said. She emphasized the importance of Biden’s apology for Indigenous people, particularly Navajo citizens.

“Many of our children didn’t come home,” she said, highlighting the loss of language and culture. Curley hopes the apology will lead to federal investment in tribal education systems. “Start investing back into our children and our mental, spiritual, (and) psychological health that this has caused for many decades,” she added.

Curley hopes the apology’s momentum will continue into future administrations, acknowledging past wrongs and investing in Indigenous communities through health and cultural initiatives.

Cheryl Crazy Bull, president of the American Indian College Fund, and Crystal Echo Hawk, founder of IllumiNative, both stressed the need for significant investments in healing and accountability beyond the apology, urging transparency and support for Native-led initiatives.


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