Friday, February 6, 2026

Before he left office, President Joe Biden came to Arizona and formally apologized for the federal government’s role in running boarding schools designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, Biden’s words still carry meaning as one group continues fulfilling a promise from his administration.

“Children would arrive [at] school, clothes taken off – their hair that they were told was sacred was chopped off. Their names [were] literally erased, replaced by a number or an English name.”

At least 526 facilities were built nationwide and resulted in more than 3,000 deaths.

“The pain it has caused will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history.”

An enduring pain Deb Haaland, Biden’s Interior secretary and the daughter of a boarding school survivor, began trying to heal.

“For decades, this terrible chapter was hidden from our history books, but now our administration’s work will ensure that no one will ever forget.”

More than a year later, healing continues within the Gila River Indian Community.

“It feels like just yesterday that we were doing our opening, and we were standing up here and telling you how we were going to make this week be a safe space for you.”

That’s Lacey Kinnart (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) with the nonprofit National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

Their group came to Gila River as part of a national tour collecting boarding school testimonials. They aim to document 400 survivors by the end of the tour.

Each video recording will be accessible through the Library of Congress.

“One of my favorite things about this work that we do is being able to see healing happening right in front of our eyes.”

Charlee Brissette is an oral history program co-director and from the same tribe as Kinnart.

“We don’t say that we’re the healers, but we offer space for healing to happen. By the end of the week too, a lot of our relatives that have shared their story with us come back, because they’re like family now.”

Like boarding school survivor Ramona Klein, who is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota and sits on the nonprofit’s board.

“I know what it was like for me, so I’m hoping it was kind of like that for them, because there’s a relief.”

Their intimate project involves a lot of aftercare, with the nonprofit remaining mindful of mental health.

“Each survivor will be contacted by the person who interviewed them in the next week or so, and then we continue to follow up for the next year. In addition to that, we offer a healing circle that’s virtual. We want to be very cognizant that we don’t open up wounds and hurt people.”

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition will stop in Denver, Colo. February 23-27, 2026, to continue its Oral History Project.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/D-KS) reintroduced this week the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act to strengthen the Small Business Administration’s Office of Native American Affairs, and expand support for Native entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Davids said Native entrepreneurs face unnecessary barriers to accessing the tools and resources they need to grow, create jobs, and compete.

She says the bill strengthens programs so they can better meet those needs.

To introduce the legislation, Davids was joined by U.S. Reps Eli Crane (R-AZ), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), and Kelly Morrison (D-MN).