Other nations including Canada and Australia have said sorry for previous policies of forced assimilation.
United States President Joe Biden has announced that he will issue a formal apology for the government’s involvement in the forced assimilation of Indigenous children into boarding schools. These schools subjected children to physical and sexual abuse, resulting in nearly 1,000 deaths.
Between 1869 and the 1960s, over 18,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools as part of a policy to “civilize” Native American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian peoples through forced assimilation.
Biden’s apology recognizes the need to acknowledge the harms of the past and marks the first time a US president has apologized for boarding school abuses. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to lead the department, played a key role in the investigation that led to this apology.
Apology recommended
Haaland believes that this apology is a significant step towards reconciliation with Indigenous communities and will join Biden during his address at the Gila River Indian Community. The apology also comes as part of a broader trend where other countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have issued apologies for past policies of forced assimilation towards Indigenous peoples.