Biden Visits Indian Country and Apologizes for Federal Indian Boarding Schools

Cheryl Rofer noted that President Biden did something important recently ("Biden Apologizes for Government Role in Residential Indian Schools"). Rofer is a good addition to the blog, including avoiding some of the macho bullshit of the veterans. You can read his remarks here.

President Biden made a historical appointment by making a tribal member his Interior Secretary (Deb Haaland is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe). Perhaps, that should be a constant.

Has it really been ten years since a sitting president came to Indian Country? What is up with that? The map shows how large the Indian country is with a few small pockets on the East Coast. Doing the map, President Obama stopped by but not Trump. That seems somewhat expected.

(Native Americans can be an important voting group in certain swing states. They tend to lean Democratic with some exceptions. A few Republican members of Congress are/were enrolled members.)  

Biden took the opportunity during his visit to apologize for the federal government's involvement in Native American bordering schools. He spelled out some of the horrors: 

Children abused — emotionally, physically, and sexually abused.  Forced into hard labor.  Some put up for adoption without the consent of their birth parents.  Some left for dead in unmarked graves. 

And for those who did return home, they were wounded in body and in spirit — trauma and shame passed down through generations. 

He made a formal apology:

I formally apologize — (applause) — as president of the United States of America, for what we did.  I formally apologize.  And it’s long overdue.

He bluntly said it was great wrong:

It’s horribly, horribly wrong.  It’s a sin on our soul.

News coverage reports the emotional reaction to his remarks. They matter. A recognition of what happened and an apology is not magic. But it matters. The proof is in the reactions of those involved. Their testimony means more than any other words.  

It also reported his argument that our great country -- he has repeatedly spoken of our greatness and potential -- must be honest about our past:

“It did take place,” the president continued. “Darkness can hide much. It erases nothing. Some injustices are heinous and horrific. They can’t be buried. We must know the good, the bad, the truth. We do not erase history. We make history. We learn from history, and we remember so we can heal as a nation.”

First Lady Jill Biden repeatedly came to Indian Country. The Vice President did as well. Native News Online reported:

In July 2023, the Vice President made history by visiting the Gila River Indian Community, becoming the first sitting President or Vice President to do so. During her visit, she emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to Tribal Nations and Native communities. She also received an update on the Gila River Indian Community’s Reclaimed Water Pipeline Project, a water infrastructure initiative funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that aims to provide reliable access to clean water and reduce reliance on the Colorado River.

During Biden's remarks, a heckler shouted about Palestinians. It seems to be an inapt moment to do that. Disrespecting Native Americans. I suppose there are ways to defend it, including as another example of injustice.

The transcript tells his response:

THE PRESIDENT:  No, no.  Let — let her go.  There’s a lot of innocent people being killed. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  There’s a lot of innocent people being killed, and it has to stop.

People have -- with some force -- criticized the Administration for being too supportive of Israel. But fair is fair, we should also remember the efforts they made -- in the face of opposition from Israeli leadership -- to provide support for the Palestinians. The United States aren't the ones fighting the war there. Our support helps but is far from essential. 

I keep on seeing reports about how close the election is. It is a sign of how this country is broken. It should not be close given the alternative.

For now, let us honor a great president and his fitting somber reminder.