President Joe Biden is taking the historic step to formally apologize for the federal government’s role in the failed Indian Board School era. The first-of-its-kind acknowledgement comes after Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland released the final report from a three-year investigation that included formal listening sessions from boarding school survivors and their relatives. The report documented at least 18,000 Native children who were sent to distant live-in schools where they were forced to abandon their languages and cultures. They were subjected to extensive physical and sexual abuse. Nearly 1,000 children died while attending the institutions far from their families. We’ll hear from Sec. Haaland and others who have been working on building the infrastructure of healing from the Boarding School Era.

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) – Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior

Denise Lajimodiere (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) – co-founder and oral historian with the National Native Boarding School Healing Coalition first Native American poet laureate of North Dakota

Jim LaBelle (Iñupiaq) – board member for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

President Joe Biden’s remarks from the Gila River Indian Community, Arizona:

Remarks from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland before Pres. Biden’s boarding schools apology:

Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)

Break 2 Music: Grateful Sun (song) Mike Bern (artist)