President Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize for the federal government’s role in running hundreds of Indian boarding schools. The schools took away Native American children from their culture, in an effort to force them into white society.
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said Biden will issue the apology Friday, Oct. 25 when he visits the Indigenous community in Arizona.
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This will be the first public apology from a sitting U.S. president in response to a federal policy that damaged tribal communities.
The Interior Department released a report earlier this year that confirmed more than 970 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children died while attending boarding schools in the system over the span of 150 years.
Biden’s visit comes less than two weeks before election day and follows Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the community in July.
Some think Biden’s apology could lead to further progress for tribal nations still pushing for action from the federal government to rectify past actions.
