On Friday, President Joe Biden made historic remarks at the Gila Crossing community school near Phoenix, Arizona, where he issued a formal apology for the federal government’s role in operating over 523 Indian boarding schools. This event marks his first visit to Indian country as president.
“After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the program,” Biden stated. “But the federal government has never, never formally apologized for what happened—until today. I formally apologize, as president of the United States of America, for what we did. I formally apologize. That’s long overdue.”
Biden emphasized the impact of the federal Indian boarding school policy, describing it as a “significant mark of shame” in American history that has received little public attention. “For too long, this all happened with virtually no public attention,” he noted.
The intention behind Indian boarding schools, as articulated by Richard Henry Pratt, an army officer and founder of the Carlisle Indian boarding school, was to “kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” From 1819 to 1969, Biden referred to this period as “one of the most horrific chapters in American history,” during which the government managed or funded schools in almost 40 states. These institutions often stripped Indigenous children of their culture, removing them from their families, prohibiting their languages, and subjecting them to harsh punishment for any form of resistance.
A recent report from the US Department of the Interior revealed that nearly 1,000 Indigenous children died in these schools, where sexual violence was rampant. Dr. Denise K. Lajimodiere, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and a co-founder of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, condemned the boarding school era as a policy of “ethnocide and cultural genocide.”
Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community, expressed deep appreciation for Biden’s acknowledgment, stating, “Some of our elders who are boarding school survivors have been waiting all of their lives for this moment. For at least a moment on Friday, the most powerful person in the world, our president, is shining a light on this dark history that’s been hidden.”
No other president has issued an apology for the suffering endured by Indigenous children in these schools. Joining Biden was Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Indigenous person to hold that position and a descendant of ancestors who were forced into boarding schools. In her address, she stressed the need for recognition of the trauma these institutions caused, saying, “For Indigenous peoples, they served as places of trauma and terror for more than 100 years.”
Haaland also remarked on the failure of the federal government’s attempts at cultural assimilation. “It failed to annihilate our languages, our traditions, our life ways. It failed to destroy us because we persevered,” she said.
Dr. Ramona Klein, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, previously testified about her abusive experiences at Fort Totten Indian Boarding School and urged Congress to help heal the wounds inflicted by boarding school policies. “I want resources to teach all Americans how boarding schools impacted and destroyed lives,” she implored.
The final boarding school report included eight recommendations from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, beginning with a call for an official apology. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, described the apology as “a profound moment for Native people across this country.” He acknowledged the Biden administration’s efforts while stressing that true healing demands action and resources.
Cyrus Ben, tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, called the apology a “vital first step,” highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by Native students and their identities. “This apology marks a vital first step toward a broader dialogue about Native Americans and a recognition that we are still here, thriving despite the historical injustices,” Ben said. “I’m hopeful that these conversations will pave the way for meaningful change and a deeper appreciation of Native peoples and their invaluable contributions to our society.”
