Biden to Issue Formal Apology

In a significant move, President Joe Biden is set to deliver a formal apology to Native Americans for the U.S. government's role in operating boarding schools. The apology is expected to take place in about 20 minutes at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, marking Biden's first visit to a Native reservation as president.

From the early 1800s until the 1960s, thousands of Native children were forcibly removed from their families and placed in boarding schools designed to erase their cultural identities and assimilate them into white American culture. Over 500 such schools were established, primarily funded by the government and often operated by religious organizations.

Deb Haaland, the Secretary of the Interior and the first Native American cabinet member in U.S. history, expressed her surprise at this momentous occasion, stating, "I would never have guessed in a million years that something like this would happen." She emphasized that the apology will resonate deeply across Indian Country.

An investigation launched by Haaland uncovered that at least 18,000 American Indian and Alaska Native children were taken from their families during the 19th and 20th centuries. While close to 1,000 deaths have been documented, the true number is believed to be significantly higher. This apology is a crucial step in acknowledging the historical injustices faced by Native communities.