US President Biden apologizes for Aboriginal residential school policy

On October 25, President Biden delivered a significant address in Arizona, formally apologizing for the U.S. government’s past policies regarding Native American boarding schools.

The assimilation policies began with the Civilization Fund Act of 1819, which led to the establishment of boarding schools across the country. These institutions forcibly removed Native American children from their families and communities, aimed at cultural assimilation. A report from the U.S. Department of the Interior revealed that nearly a thousand Native American children died while enrolled in these government-operated or supported schools.

“I formally apologize for our actions as President of the United States,” Biden stated during his speech at an Indian community on the outskirts of Phoenix. He called the forced removal of Native American children a “permanent mark of shame” and “a stain on American history.”

Biden is the first sitting president to apologize specifically for the history of Native American boarding schools, and this visit marks his first as president to a Native American reservation.

“This is one of the darkest chapters in American history. We should feel ashamed that the vast majority of Americans are unaware of it,” Biden remarked. “For too long, this subject has received little public attention, neither featured in our history books nor taught in our schools.”

During his presidency, Biden nominated New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior, making her the first Native American to hold a cabinet position in U.S. history. In June 2021, Haaland announced the launch of the Federal Indian Boarding School Truth Initiative, aiming to investigate the loss of life and lasting impacts caused by the boarding school system.

While some Native American groups welcomed Biden’s formal apology, there is skepticism regarding the timing and motivation behind it. With just ten days remaining until the election, and Arizona being a key battleground state, analysts suggest that Biden’s intentions to mobilize Democratic voter turnout are evident.

The Associated Press noted that Native American tribes have historically leaned Democratic, yet their voter turnout remains lower than that of other ethnic groups. In the 2020 election, however, voter turnout surged in some Arizona reservations, helping Biden become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1996.

“An apology is a good first step, but it does not constitute a true reckoning of the long history of colonial violence, nor is it a sufficient remedy,” commented a leader of a Native American advocacy organization.