CHIEF BARNES ISSUES RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S APOLOGY FOR INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOLS

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.”

###

Contact: media@shawnee-tribe-com

Back

More News

Feb 6, 2025

VALENTINE'S DAY CARD CONTEST – DEADLINE FEB. 12

Let’s show each other some love in saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language)! The tribe is hosting a Valentine’s Day card contest. Sincere, funny or somewhere in-between, we want to see your most creative cards, artwork, memes, or poetry. Email your entries to media@shawnee-tribe.com on or before next Wednesday, February 12. Entries must use Shawnee language. People’s Choice […]

Read More
Feb 6, 2025

BEHAVIORAL & MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT BRINGS AWARENESS TO TEEN DATING VIOLENCE

February is Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about a serious issue that impacts people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to gain power and control over a partner in a romantic relationship. It can take many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, […]

Read More
Feb 6, 2025

RECORDING STUDIO DEDICATION AT SAAWANWAATOWEEWIKA

2K FOUNDATIONS SUPPORTING SHAWNEE LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION Updated February 20, 2025On February 3, tribal leaders and the Shawnee language team hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling a newly renovated recording studio at the Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika (Shawnee language house) with citizens and staff from Firaxis Games. 2K Foundations, the charitable giving subsidiary of 2K Games, has provided generous support […]

Read More
Feb 6, 2025

WEEMEYAKWE: WHERE WE COME FROM

From “The Ohio Country” Webpage: “This 12–episode series provides a perspective on the history of the region we now call Ohio that very few of us learned in school. It puts the experiences of Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and other American Indian People at the center of a refreshed version of the state’s complicated past and […]

Read More
Feb 5, 2025

RECYCLING SPOTLIGHT: PAPER

Did you know? Recycling each ton of paper saves:

Read More
Jan 28, 2025

CHIEF BARNES RESPONDS TO OMB'S MEMO ON FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE

On Monday, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum for heads of executive departments and federal agencies requiring agencies to “complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their [f]ederal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive […]

Read More
Jan 24, 2025

KIWIITAMAAKONAAKI HOKIMAAKI – MESSAGES FROM THE CHIEFS SPRING 2025

Messages from the Chiefs — Spring 2025: Chief Banes looks ahead in 2025, and Chief Baldridge highlights building and maintaining relationships on the local, state and federal levels to ensure the growth of the Shawnee Tribe.

Read More
Jan 17, 2025

CHIEF BENJAMIN BARNES COMMENDS FEDERAL ADVANCEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ('UNDRIP')

MIAMI, OK — Chief Benjamin Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe is commending recent federal efforts to advance the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Adopted in 2007, UNDRIP outlines the rights of Indigenous peoples worldwide, and the United States joined 192 other United Nations member states in 2014 in committing to […]

Read More
See All News