CNN —President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized to Native Americans for what he described as “one of the most horrific chapters in American history,” government-funded boarding schools that abused indigenous children and forced them to assimilate over a 150-year period.
Three years ago, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, commissioned the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to review the schools’ impacts on Native Americans.
Their final report, issued this summer, found at least 973 Native American children died while attending these federal boarding schools.
It’s the first time he has visited Indian Country as president and the first time in 10 years a sitting president has visited tribal lands.
He paused his speech to say that the killing of people in Gaza “has to stop.”CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
Persons:
Joe Biden, ” Biden, Deb Haaland, “, ”, ” Biden’s, Barack Obama, Biden, “ we’re, CNN’s Arlette Saenz
Organizations:
CNN, Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, “, Gila Crossing Community School, Country, Sioux, Palestine
Locations:
Laveen , Arizona, American, Gila, Phoenix, Gaza