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In October, standing on the land of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, President Joe Biden formally apologized for the centuries that the U.S. government forced Native American children to attend boarding schools, ripping them from their families, tribes, culture and community.
“I formally apologize!” Biden said, slamming his fist on the podium. “It’s long, long, long overdue.”
The acknowledgment of the harm inflicted on Indigenous families comes after a recent push to surface truths about that dark period in American history. This includes a healing tour led by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, along with a report from her agency that found nearly 1,000 children had died at boarding schools.
Biden described the experience of Ramona Klein, 77, who was whisked off in a green bus to Fort Totten school in North Dakota, and has testified before Congress about her traumatic experience there. Klein was a participant in a first-of-its-kind oral history project, underway since March.
Abby Abinanti, chief judge of the Yurok Tribal Nation, told Imprint reporter Nancy Marie Spears that the apology is “an important starting point and must be followed up by substantive efforts to ‘make it right.’ That is where the major work must be done with the families, the descendants. Discussions must occur at the ground level, and plans must be created.”
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