Biden apologizes to Native community for boarding schools… but why now?
By Mariah Humphries
“I formally apologize, as president of the United States of America, for what we did. I formally apologize. And it’s long overdue.”
President Biden
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images from CNN.com
President Biden visited Gila Crossing Community School in Laveen Village, Arizona, on October 25 to make a formal acknowledgement and apology for the Federal Indian Boarding Schools. As “one of the most horrific chapters in American history,” the boarding school system was a government and Christian church collaboration to take on the “Indian problem,” called the Civilization Fund Act.
It is fair to say I am torn by the timing of this recognition from President Biden. We were two weeks from a significant election, and this is when our sitting president decided to take this stand—in a swing state where the Native vote played a role in his win in 2020? That’s strategic, and lacks sincerity.
Also, this needed to happen. The US government system has an incredible legacy of distorting or whitewashing history to benefit a majority culture. So yes, this statement by President Biden needed to happen. I’m grateful it did! I just wish it would’ve happened at a time when motive would not have been questioned. As Native Peoples, we deserve more than to be a political pawn.
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