Interior Secretary Haaland applauds Biden apology for Indigenous boarding schools

Biden will rumor an charismatic apology connected Friday afternoon.

For much than a century, from nan early 1800s to nan 1960s, Indigenous children were taken from their tribes -- sometimes forcibly from their homes -- to be authorities assimilation boarding schools. On Friday afternoon, President Joe Biden will rumor a general apology from nan U.S. authorities to impacted communities.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, nan first Native American to clasp a Cabinet position, says her grandparents and mother were among those shipped disconnected to these schools: "I understand that history," she told big Brad Mielke connected Friday's section of "Start Here," ABC News’ flagship regular news podcast.

Elementary schoolhouse people of Indian students pinch botanical specimens astatine United States Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1901. (Boarding schoolhouse for Native American students, founded successful 1879 nether US governmental authority).

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"The children sewage to these boarding schools. They were stripped of their clothing. Their hairsbreadth was cut. They were forbidden to speak their autochthonal languages and were hit if they did," said Haaland.

Haaland went connected a preservation listening circuit to perceive from tribal elders and descendants of group who attended these schools arsenic portion of a national investigation into nan government's boarding schoolhouse programs and nan reported physical and affectional maltreatment arsenic good arsenic death that took place.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks connected shape during nan last time of nan Democratic National Convention astatine nan United Center connected Aug. 22, 2024 successful Chicago.

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She besides investigated those who ne'er made it home, and found that hundreds of children had been buried astatine unmarked sites acold distant from their homes.

As portion of her investigation, Haaland put together a database of recommendations, nan first of which is to rumor a general acknowledgment and apology from nan U.S. government.

Debating class, Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1901. A young female opinionated earlier a group of seated students. A partially visible chalkboard says "Debate. Resolved: That nan U.S. Senate"

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The White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School, an off-reservation boarding precocious schoolhouse for Native Americans successful Riverside, singing autochthonal songs connected nan Morongo Indian Reservation adjacent Banning, California, April 11, 2015.

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President Biden told White House reporters Thursday that he’s going to Arizona “to do thing that should person been done a agelong clip ago."

“To make a general apology to nan Indian nations for nan measurement we treated their children for truthful galore years,” he said. “That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m heading west.”

Haaland told "Start Here" that an apology is nan first measurement successful moving toward a remedy to nan trauma and pain.

"Quite frankly, Native American history is American history, truthful it's important for nan survivors and nan descendants, I believe, to consciousness that they are seen."

ABC News' Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

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