Today, Governor Tina Kotek released a statement following President Joe Biden’s presidential apology on Friday for the Indian Boarding School era. President Biden issued his apology during a speech at the Gila Crossing Community School in Laveen, Arizona. Governor Kotek said:

“I thank President Joe Biden for his courageous and heartfelt acknowledgment of the devastating legacy of Indian boarding schools. I also commend Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for her tireless efforts to bring forward this dark chapter of American history and the voices of boarding school survivors and their descendants.

“In this historic moment, I join the President in acknowledging this terrible wrong and apologize for the role Oregon played in assisting this federal policy and the profound consequences still felt by Native peoples to this day.

“I know words alone cannot undo the harm. We must never forget, and we must strive for healing. I am committed to working closely with the nine federally recognized Tribal Nations of Oregon and all Native peoples to ensure their voices guide us in our efforts.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior recently completed the first federal investigation into the Indian boarding school system, the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. The report identifies ten official federal Indian boarding schools and other institutions that operated in Oregon, which were designed to forcibly and systematically assimilate and erase Native children’s identities. Verbal histories featured in the report detail the neglect, abuse, and trauma children suffered in these schools.

The ten Indian boarding schools identified in the report include: Chemawa Indian Training School, Forest Grove Indian Training School, Grand Ronde Boarding School, Kate Drexel Mission Boarding School, Klamath Agency Boarding School, Siletz Boarding School, Simnasho Boarding and Day School, Umatilla Boarding and Day School, Warm Springs Boarding and Day School, and Umatilla Boarding and Day School.

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