WASHINGTON D.C. – President Joe Biden issued an apology to the Native American community for the federal government’s role in running Indian boarding schools.
Biden described the government’s involvement in these schools as a “horrific” chapter in U.S. history.
Biden made the apology and stressed that, “After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the program. But, the federal government has never, never formally apologized for what happened, until today. I formally apologize!”
Between 1819 and 1969, at least 18,000 Native American children were taken from their families. They were forced to attend over 400 Indian boarding schools across 37 states or then-territories.
This summer, the Interior Department released a report confirming that nearly 1,000 Native American children died while attending federal boarding schools. The report also found at least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 different schools.
U.S. Senators and key figures in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs have responded to President Joe Biden’s formal apology for the former Indian Boarding School policies in the U.S.
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, the committee’s chairman, reflected on the history of these policies. “For more than a century, the federal government’s Indian Boarding School policies and practices stole hundreds of thousands of Native children from their homes in an effort to destroy Native languages, cultures, and identities. It’s an unconscionable chapter in our nation’s history, with a lasting legacy that continues to affect communities today,” Schatz stated. He noted that “President Biden’s formal apology is a significant step toward confronting the dark history of these policies.” Schatz emphasized that Congress must act, adding, “the federal government also has a solemn responsibility to chart a path toward healing.”
Earlier this year, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs progressed with legislation to establish a federal commission for investigating and acknowledging these historical injustices. “Equally as important, the bill would provide crucial supports for survivors and their descendants,” Schatz said. “Passing this bill is a moral imperative, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to move quickly so we can begin to deliver the justice, closure, and support Native communities deserve,” he added.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the committee’s vice chairman, commended the President’s apology. “I commend the President for his apology to all the survivors and Native communities which continue to be impacted by the tragic legacy of the Indian boarding school era,” Murkowski said. “This acknowledgement of the pain and injustices inflicted upon Indigenous communities—while long overdue—is an extremely important step toward healing.”
Murkowski stated that “these actions reinforce the importance of confronting this egregious chapter in history” and further strengthened her resolve “to get my legislation to create a Truth and Healing Commission signed into law.”
