President Joe Biden issued a formal apology for the United States’ policy of forcibly separating indigenous children from their families and sending them to boarding schools for assimilation over 150 years. The apology came after an investigation by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, who also expressed the trauma caused by the policy. The investigation revealed at least 973 deaths of Native American children at these schools, with likely many more. The president acknowledged the pain caused by physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at these institutions.
The apology by Biden follows a similar one by Pope Francis for similar abuses in Canada. Some survivors, like former Oglala Sioux Tribe president Alex White Plume, feel that the apology does not change anything and call for meaningful action to address the trauma and restore their territories. Cecelia Fire Thunder, a former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, emphasized the need for resources for behavioral health services for affected communities.
Marsha Small, a specialist in ground-penetrating radar who led a search for unmarked graves at a boarding school, expressed anger but also appreciation for Biden’s acknowledgment. Some in the crowd at the event where Biden spoke felt the apology was not enough, with one demonstrator holding a sign about mass graves of indigenous children. Overall, while the apology was welcomed by many, there is a call for concrete actions to address the ongoing impacts of the boarding school policy.
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