GILA RIVER, Ariz.—Chief Ben Barnes attended today’s event on the reservation of the Gila River Indian Community, where President Joe Biden delivered a historic speech and a formal presidential apology for 150 years of federal Indian boarding school policies which he called “a shame” and “a blot on American history.” 

“I’m delighted that President Biden’s apology today has shed an unprecedented light on the evils perpetuated by the United States in Indian boarding schools and elevated the visibility of tribal nations and our fight to find justice for boarding school survivors and descendants,” Barnes says. “However, I am incredibly disappointed President Biden did not utilize this once-in-a-lifetime occasion to announce any meaningful new action that will bring us closer to those goals.” 

Biden’s visit to Gila River is the first presidential visit to a tribal reservation in over ten years. 

“As President Biden said today, there’s no excuse for how long overdue this apology is,” Barnes continues. “While his administration can tout many recent successes in advancing Native causes, even the most heartfelt apology can be outright dangerous to our communities if it comes without sustained, meaningful actions to rectify the initial harms caused. In the case of Indian boarding schools, we’re talking about genocidal harms.” 

The U.S. Truth and Healing Commission Bill (S.1723/H.R. 7227) currently has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. If ratified, it would establish a federal commission to investigate and reconcile the full extent of Indian boarding schools in the U.S. 

“Until the U.S. Truth and Healing Commission Bill is passed,” Barnes concludes, “and until American education systems tell the full history of this chapter in our shared history, we will still have a very long fight for justice ahead of us.”

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