In 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to former students of residential schools in Canada. It was a sincere heartfelt speech on behalf of the Canadian government that stemmed from bi-partisan effort. I was very impressed with Canadian politicians on that historic day.
Native people in the US have never been offered an apology and one senator is trying to change that.
Republican Senator Sam Brownback spoke with Indian Country Today,
"political games shouldn’t be played with something as important as a Native American apology ....
Brownback had been pushing for an apology since 2004 after collaborating with former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. The Senate passed his congressional resolution in October, and then the president signed it into law as part of a defense appropriation bill just before Christmas. The resolution apologizes “on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect inflicted on Native peoples by citizens of the United States.” It also “urges the president to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land....”
Many Native Americans find it odd that Obama chose to sign the resolution, yet the White House has made no mention of the president making an apology, nor was there even an effort to tell Native Americans, or the general public, about the resolution."
President Obama has yet to apologize.
The Canadian apology was a first step towards moving forward. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hopefully prove to be a productive next step.
The US needs to follow Canada's lead on this issue and President Obama needs to offer the apology to Native leaders and the nation so they to can also begin moving forward.
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