Rodney Butler of Mashantucket Pequot Nation Joins President Biden in Powerful, Historic Apology at Gila River

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Chairman Rodney Butler accompanied President Joe Biden and Secretary Deb Haaland aboard Air Force One, joining a small group of esteemed tribal leaders for a historic ceremony at the Gila River Indian Reservation. Here, President Biden issued a formal apology for the federal government's role in forcibly sending Native American children to boarding schools over the past 150 years. The delegation included Stephen Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community; Mark Macarro, President of the National Congress of American Indians and Chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians; Whitney Gravelle, President of the Bay Mills Indian Community; Gena Kakkak, Chairwoman of the Menominee Indian Tribe; and Deborah Parker, CEO of the Native American Boarding School Coalition.