President Biden Apologizes for Indigenous Boarding School Abuse \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Joe Biden offered a formal apology on Friday for the U.S. government’s role in the systemic abuse of Indigenous children in federal boarding schools. Speaking to survivors and tribal leaders at the Gila River Indian Community, Biden acknowledged the century-long mistreatment endured by Indigenous families. Community leaders expressed gratitude but emphasized the need for tangible support and healing.
Biden’s Apology for Indigenous Boarding School Abuse: A Historic Reckoning
- Formal Apology: Biden offers the first apology by a sitting president.
- Generations of Trauma: Recognizes the 150 years of abuse in federal boarding schools.
- Survivor Reflections: Survivors accept apology but call for real action.
- Healing Pathways: Tribal leaders advocate for reparations and repatriation efforts.
- Legislative Backing: Bipartisan support for a truth and healing commission.
Deep Look
On Friday, President Joe Biden issued a historic apology for the systemic abuse inflicted on Indigenous children through U.S. government-run boarding schools, a tragic chapter spanning over a century. Biden’s words marked the first time a sitting president has publicly acknowledged the federal government’s role in what he called “one of the most horrific chapters in American history.” Speaking before a crowd of tribal leaders, survivors, and their families at the Gila River Indian Community near Phoenix, Biden offered an apology for the generations of Indigenous children removed from their families, forced into boarding schools, and stripped of their languages, cultures, and identities.
“We should be ashamed,” Biden declared, his voice somber as he acknowledged the government’s decades-long policies that sought to assimilate Indigenous children and sever their connection to their heritage. “For 150 years, the United States systematically uprooted Indigenous children from their homes, placing them in schools that punished them for speaking their own languages and practicing their cultures. This was government policy, and we have to own that.”
The atmosphere was solemn, with hundreds of tribal members in attendance, many dressed in traditional attire or in shirts bearing Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’s names. Many attendees recorded the historic moment on their phones. Following the president’s remarks, there was a collective moment of silence before an outpouring of applause filled the room. The crowd rose to its feet again as chants of “Thank you, Joe” reverberated, reflecting a mixture of gratitude and relief for a long-awaited acknowledgment of pain.
Survivors Accept Apology, Seek Action
For the Indigenous community, Biden’s apology was both meaningful and bittersweet, and for many survivors, it served as a long-overdue acknowledgment of their trauma. Bill Hall, a boarding school survivor from Seattle and a member of the Tlingit community in Alaska, was nine years old when he was taken from his family and placed in a boarding school. There, he endured years of abuse that led to a life marked by shame and lasting emotional scars. “When I first heard that Biden was going to apologize, I wasn’t sure if I could accept it,” Hall reflected. “But as I watched, tears began to flow. Yes, I accept his apology. Now, what can we do next?”
For Hall and others, the path to healing remains long and complicated. They view Biden’s apology as a beginning, not an end, and they are advocating for substantial reparative actions. Survivors have called for programs addressing the mental health impacts of the boarding school experience, language revitalization efforts, and government-funded initiatives that would allow tribal nations to locate and repatriate the remains of children who died in the boarding schools.
Another survivor, Rosalie Whirlwind Soldier, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, expressed mixed emotions. She described feeling “a tingle in my heart” upon hearing Biden’s words, appreciating the acknowledgment of the harm done. However, she lamented the scars that can never be erased. Whirlwind Soldier, who suffered permanent injury while at a Catholic-run boarding school in South Dakota, said, “Sorry is not enough. Nothing is enough when you damage a human being. A whole generation and our future was destroyed for us.”
Understanding the Legacy of Federal Boarding Schools
The U.S. boarding school system, which formally began in 1819, continued for 150 years. It removed Indigenous, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families, placing them in institutions where they were forced to abandon their languages, identities, and traditions. An investigation led by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland—the first Native American to lead the department—detailed how these policies aimed both to assimilate Indigenous children and to divest tribal nations of their land. The investigation uncovered records of over 18,000 Indigenous children in the boarding schools, noting that at least 973 children died while in government custody. However, researchers estimate that the actual number is likely far higher.
Haaland commissioned the Department of Interior investigation in 2021, which resulted in a report documenting testimonies from boarding school survivors. The report also included recommendations gathered from survivors, suggesting that the government fund mental health resources, cultural healing programs, and language revitalization initiatives. Biden has pledged to take these recommendations seriously, with a renewed focus on providing resources that will support the healing of Indigenous communities.
Calls for Continued Action and Repatriation
The apology has also renewed calls for the U.S. government to take concrete steps toward repatriating the remains of Indigenous children who died in boarding schools. Tribal leaders and advocates emphasize that healing for many families cannot fully begin until the remains of their lost children are returned to their ancestral lands. Victoria Kitcheyan, chairwoman of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, echoed this sentiment, explaining that her tribe recently filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army, seeking the return of the remains of two children who died at Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian Industrial School. “That healing doesn’t start until tribes have a pathway to bring their children home to be laid to rest,” she said.
Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis acknowledged Biden’s commitment to fulfilling the recommendations laid out in Haaland’s report. “This lays the framework to address the boarding school policies of the past,” he said. Leaders within the Indigenous community continue to push for support in finding, identifying, and repatriating the remains of lost children, urging the government to provide resources to tribes engaged in this difficult process.
Legislative Support for Healing and Accountability
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican and vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, commended Biden’s acknowledgment, describing it as an “extremely important step toward healing.” Murkowski also highlighted the need for a truth and healing commission, emphasizing that the apology represents an initial step toward accountability but that more needs to be done.
Looking Forward: A Long Road to Healing
For Indigenous communities, Biden’s apology represents a step forward in acknowledging the lasting impact of boarding school abuses. As Biden addressed the crowd, hundreds of tribal members rose in gratitude, reflecting the significance of the moment. Many survivors and their families, however, view the apology as a symbolic beginning rather than a conclusive end. For Bill Hall, the Seattle survivor who has spent a lifetime advocating for government support for survivors, the road ahead is long. He hopes for a future where Indigenous communities can access the resources needed to heal from the trauma of the boarding school era.
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