Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Advances Healing and Justice for Indigenous Peoples

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Advances Healing and Justice for Indigenous Peoples
PUBLISHED 11/26/2024 by Alyxandra Todich’ii’ni Lawson and Carrie N. Baker




President Joe Biden formally apologizes for the U.S. government’s role in running hundreds of Indian boarding schools for a 150-year period that stripped Native American children of their language and culture in a systematic effort to force them to assimilate into white society, at the Gila River Indian Community outside Phoenix on Oct. 25, 2024, in Laveen, Ariz. (Jahi Chikwendiu / Getty Images)

On Friday, Oct. 25, at Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, President Joseph Biden delivered a formal apology on behalf of the United States to an assembly of Native American leaders for the genocidal impact of 150 years of U.S. Indian boarding schools, which sought to erase Indigenous people, culture and languages.

“I formally apologize as president of the United States of America for what we did,” said Biden. “It’s long overdue.”

This apology came as a result of years of work by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo. The U.S. Department of the Interior oversees U.S. relations to American Indians, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians. As the first Indigenous woman to lead the Department of the Interior, Haaland has played a prominent role in federal efforts to address the intergenerational trauma caused by federal Indian boarding schools and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), especially women. Building on decades of advocacy by Indigenous leaders, survivors and community members, Haaland has spearheaded initiatives like the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the creation of the Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).



U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in Laveen on Oct. 25, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)

The Not Invisible Act Commission, established in 2020, represents a significant milestone in these collective efforts to shed light on the MMIP crisis. Bringing together survivors, family members, Tribal leaders, law enforcement and service providers, the commission gathered testimony from nearly 600 participants. Its findings, documented in the “Not One More” report, called for survivor advocacy, legislative reform and intergovernmental coordination to address systemic barriers and injustices. In March 2024, the Departments of the Interior and Justice issued their formal response to the “Not One More” report. This response outlined critical steps to address MMIP with a focus on regional coordination, culturally grounded care, and systemic reform.

Among the notable implementations:

The establishment of regional MMIP offices, ensuring community-specific resources are available to address local challenges.
The formalization of Healing and Response Teams (HRTs), which provide culturally specific, trauma-informed care to survivors and families.
The expansion of Tribal Community Response Plans (TCRPs), improving collaboration among federal, state and Tribal authorities in missing persons investigations.
Enhanced data-sharing initiatives through the Department of Justice’s Tribal Access Program (TAP).

. . .






Native American girls from the Omaha tribe at Carlisle School in Carlisle, Penn., in 1876. (Corbis via Getty Images)


“We ask the administration to expedite the return of our relatives buried on these former school grounds to their rightful resting places,” said Mark Macarro, president of the National Congress of American Indians. Indigenous advocates are also calling on the U.S. government to fully fund initiatives requiring all schools to teach the Indigenous languages of their regions and restoring original place names across the landscape—from mountains and rivers to cities and streets—returning them to their Indigenous names in Native languages. “Such restoration of language and place names is not merely symbolic but represents a fundamental act of cultural justice and healing, returning what was systematically erased through colonization,” said Joely Proudfit, a professor at California State University San Marcos. Macarro urged Congress to pass legislation that would “further illuminate this history and support the ongoing journey toward healing.” “As proud citizens of our Tribal Nations and of the United States, we hold hope that this historic moment will be a catalyst for lasting, reparative measures,” said Macarro.

https://msmagazine.com/2024/11/26/interior-secretary-deb-haaland-joe-biden-native-american-indigenous-boarding-schools/