No president has ever formally apologized for the forced removal of indigenous children — an element of genocide as defined by the U.N.
NORMAN, Okla. — President Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize on Friday for the country’s role in the Indian boarding school system, which devastated the lives of generations of Indigenous children and their ancestors.
“I would never have guessed in a million years that something like this would happen,” said Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna. “It’s a big deal to me. I’m sure it will be a big deal to all of Indian Country.”
Shortly after becoming the first Native American to lead the Interior, Haaland launched an investigationinto the boarding school system, which found that 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, in an effort …