President Joe Biden will deliver a long-awaited apology to Native American families on Friday, addressing the horrors inflicted by the U.S. government’s Indian boarding school system. The formal apology will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Gila River Indian Community, where Biden will be joined by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland—the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet.
“For over a century, our government forcibly removed Native children from their families and culture,” Biden said, confirming the decision to issue a national apology. “This is something that should have been done long ago.”
The U.S. Indian boarding school system, initiated in 1819 and lasting well into the 1970s, aimed to assimilate Native American children by removing them from their families and forbidding their languages and traditions. Tragically, many children experienced abuse and neglect, and some never returned home. Secretary Haaland, herself a descendant of boarding school survivors, expressed deep gratitude for the president’s decision, saying, “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.”
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. praised Biden’s move, calling it a “profound moment” for Indigenous communities and urging further action to address the lasting impacts on survivors and their families.
The apology marks a pivotal step toward healing, acknowledging a painful chapter in U.S. history that has gone unaddressed for far too long.
