CHEROKEE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- President Joe Biden will offer a formal apology on Friday for the federal government's role in running hundreds of Indian boarding schools.  Reports show tens of thousands of Native American children were taken from their families and forced to assimilate into white society.  The remarks coming Friday from Biden will be the first from a U.S. president publicly apologizing for the cruelty endured by Native American children. The president will speak at the Gila Crossing Community School in Arizona. It will be his first visit to an indigenous community since taking office.  2 more counties, Catawba Indian Nation now eligible for FEMA Assistance in South Carolina The visit comes after a 105-page report released by the U.S. Department of the Interior earlier this year revealed at least 973 children died while attending Indian boarding schools.  Part of it reads, "this report confirms that the United States directly targeted American Indian, Alaska native, and native Hawaiian children in the pursuit of a policy of cultural assimilation that coincided with Indian territorial dispossession."  Between 1819 and 1969, the U.S. government managed or paid churches and religious groups to run 408 of these schools across 37 states. Four were in North Carolina: three in the western part of the state, Valleytown, Cherokee and Henderson; and in Randolph County. Tribal members forced to attend have recounted their experiences, detailing physical and sexual abuse, neglect and efforts to erase their native languages and cultures. In order to assimilate the kids, school leaders gave them English names, cut their hair and prevented them from practicing their religions and cultures.  Joe Biden will be the first president to publicly apologize for the actions at the schools. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. released the following statement ahead of the apology:  "President Biden's apology is a profound moment for Native people across this country. I applaud the President for acknowledging the pain and suffering inflicted on tribes and boarding school survivors, which is long-overdue.  Our children were made to live in a world that erased their identities, their culture and upended their spoken language. They often suffered harm, abuse, neglect and were forced to live in the shadows.  Oklahoma was home to 87 boarding schools in which thousands of our Cherokee children attended. Still today, nearly every Cherokee Nation citizen somehow feels the impact.   We are grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris, and largely Secretary Haaland for her role in ensuring these truths were exposed and for leading the efforts in the Boarding School Road to Healing Initiative.  The significance of this public apology by the President on behalf of this nation is amplified and an important step, which must be followed by continued action.  The DOI's recommendations, especially in the preservation of Native languages and the repatriation of ancestors and cultural items, can be a path toward true healing.  Our work at Cherokee Nation is ongoing — we are developing our own repatriation and boarding school healing plans to honor those children and families affected and ensure our culture and language thrive for future generations.  We know from experience that true healing goes beyond words — it requires action, resources, and commitment. Cherokee Nation publicly acknowledged our own role in the painful history of Cherokee Freedmen and have worked to address positive change, and so too can this country.  My administration will continue to advocate for justice for all those impacted by the boarding school-era policies. We stand today with all tribes impacted by this painful chapter in our nation's history as our Cherokee people heal and move forward."  Biden's historic visit Friday comes just 11 days before Election Day, and could sway Native American voters in critical battleground states like North Carolina, Arizona and Michigan.