Biden apologized to Native Americans for the “sin” of the boarding school policy

LAVINE VILLAGE, Arizona. — President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized to Native Americans for the “sin” of the government’s residential school system, which for decades forcibly separated children from their parents, calling it a “stain on American history” in his first presidential visit to Indian country.

“This is a sin on our souls,” Biden said, his voice thick with anger and emotion. “Frankly, there is no excuse for it taking 50 years to issue this apology.”

It was a moment of both remorse and frustration as the president struggled to acknowledge one of the “most horrific pages” in the nation’s history. Biden spoke about the abuse and death of indigenous children by federal government policies, noting that “while darkness can hide much, it erases nothing” and that great nations “need to know the good, the bad, the truth of who we are “. .”

“I am formally apologizing as the president of the United States of America for what we did,” Biden said. The government’s removal of children from their Native American communities for residential schools “will always be a great mark of shame, a blot on American history. For too long, all this happened practically without the attention of the public, which was not written about in our history textbooks, is not taught in our schools.”

Democrats hope Biden’s visit to the Gila River Indian Community on the edge of the Phoenix metro area will also boost Vice President Kamala Harris’ turnout efforts in the key battleground state. The moment gave Biden more of a chance to highlight his and Harris’ support for tribal nations, a group that has historically favored Democrats, in a state he won by just 10,000 votes in 2020.

The race between Harris and former President Donald Trump is expected to be just as tight, with both campaigns doing everything they can to boost turnout among “core” supporters.

“The turnout is in the race right now,” said Mike O’Neill, a nonpartisan Arizona pollster. “The trend lines were surprisingly stable. The question is which candidate will be able to win over voters in what appears to be a close race.”

Harris and other Democrats used Biden sparingly on the campaign trail after he ended his campaign in July.

But analysts say Biden could help Harris in her appeal to Native American voters, a group that lags behind others in turnout.

In 2020, voter turnout on some Arizona tribal lands increased as Biden beat Trump to become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1996.

Biden, whose presidency is ending, promised tribal leaders almost two years ago that he would visit Indian country.

For decades, federal boarding schools have been used to assimilate children into white society, according to the White House. Not everyone thought the apology was enough.

“An apology is a good start, but it is not true retribution, nor is it a sufficient remedy for the long history of colonial violence,” said Chase Iron Eyes, director of the Lakota People’s Law Project and the Sacred Defense Fund.

At least 973 Native American children died in the violent U.S. residential school system over a 150-year period that ended in 1969, according to an Interior Department investigation that demanded an apology from the U.S. government.

At least 18,000 children, some as young as 4, were taken from their parents and forced to attend schools that sought to assimilate them.

“President Biden is to be commended for finally addressing this issue and other issues affecting society,” said Ramona Charette Klein, 77, a boarding school survivor and charter member of the Turtle Mountain Orchestra in Chippewa. “I think it will reflect well on Vice President Harris, and I hope that momentum continues.”

Democrats intensified work with Indian communities.

Both Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, met with tribal leaders in Arizona and Nevada this month. And Clinton, who served as a surrogate for Harris, met last week in North Carolina with the chief of the Lambie tribe.

The Democratic National Committee recently launched a six-figure advertising campaign targeting Native American voters in Arizona, North Carolina, Montana and Alaska through digital, print and radio ads.

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running against Republican Kari Lake for an open Arizona Senate seat, has visited all 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona.

Harris opened a recent campaign rally in Chandler, near the Gila River Reservation, by shouting out the tribal chief. Walz is scheduled to travel to Arizona Navajo on Saturday.

The White House says that over the past four years, Biden and Harris have gained significant experience working with Native Americans.

The president designated the sacred Avi Kwa Ame, a desert mountain in Nevada, and the Baaj Nwaawjo I’tah Kukweni Footprints of the Ancestors in the Grand Canyon in Arizona as national monuments and restored the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

In addition, the administration directed nearly $46 billion in federal spending to tribal nations. The money helped electrify a reservation that never had electricity, expand access to high-speed Internet, improve sanitation, build roads, and more.

Biden selected former New Mexico state representative Deb Haaland as his interior secretary, the first Native American appointed to a cabinet position. Haaland is a member of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico.

She, in turn, in June 2021 ordered a comprehensive review of the problematic legacy of the federal government’s residential school policy, for which Biden formally apologized.

Tom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, said the Harris and Trump campaigns — and their allies — have made significant efforts to microtarget Arizona.

“They’re pulling out all the stops to see if they can wring a few more votes here and there,” Reilly said. “The Indian community is one of those groups that Harris hopes will step up and help make a difference.”