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President Biden to Apologize for 150-Year Indian Boarding School Policy That Led to Nearly 1,000 Deaths

Oct 24, 2024, 08:30 PM

President Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize on Friday for the United States government's role in the Indian boarding school system, acknowledging historical harms that devastated the lives of generations of Indigenous children and their ancestors. This marks the first time a U.S. president has formally apologized for the forced removal and abuse of Native American children—a policy considered an element of genocide under United Nations definitions. The apology will take place during Biden's visit to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, his first diplomatic visit to a tribal nation as president. The Indian boarding school policy, which lasted for approximately 150 years and was supported by the federal government in the 19th and early 20th centuries, forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families to attend government-run schools where many suffered abuse, and nearly 1,000 children died. Biden stated, "I'm heading to do something that should have been done a long time ago; to make a formal apology to the Indian Nations for the way we treated their children for so many years." This formal apology signifies recognition and reconciliation efforts towards the Native American community for the atrocities committed during that era.