RAPID CITY, S.D. – President Biden made an official apology to the nation today, acknowledging the forced re-education of indigenous children conducted by the federal government across the country. In 1819, congress initiated a policy that separated indigenous children from their families, attempting to assimilate them into western society, a policy that lasted until 1978.
The president’s apology marks a historic first, but indigenous leaders from across the Black Hills region have urged that additional steps must be taken. The NDN Collective and the Remembering the Children Memorial, two organizations based out of Rapid City, have called upon the Biden administration to pass legislation supporting the relatives of boarding school victims.
“Today’s apology needs to be an apology that creates an era of repair,” said Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of the NDN Collective, “the words that were shared today need to be a pathway into the future.”
The NDN …