From staff and wire reports
WASHINGTON — President Obama pledged Thursday to redeem broken promises made to American Indians, saying he’s empathetic because of his own history as an “outsider.”
“Few have been more marginalized and ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans, our first Americans,” Obama said in opening the White House Tribal Nations Conference.
“I know what it means to feel ignored and forgotten, and what it means to struggle,” he said. “So you will not be forgotten as long as I’m in this White House.”
The administration invited representatives from the 564 federally recognized tribes to participate in the conference, the first White House meeting of its kind since 1994. Leaders from nearly 400 tribes attended. The event came as some American Indians are locked in a long-standing legal battle with the federal government over land royalties.
Obama said American Indians have a right to be suspicious of the government, recounting a history of broken promises and treaty violations. “You were told your lands, your religion, your cultures, your languages were not yours to keep,” he said.
(watch video here)
Obama said his administration has already helped Native Americans through the $787 billion stimulus package, which included $100 million for job creation within tribal communities, $500 million for the Indian Health Service, and nearly $500 million for various education, college and school construction programs.
