City of Richfield issued the following announcement on Oct. 14.
Joining the State of Minnesota and a host of other cities around the country, Richfield has declared the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The day was officially declared by proclamation at the Richfield City Council meeting on October 8.
According to the proclamation, in lieu of Columbus Day, the second Monday of October will be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in order to promote appreciation, tolerance, reconciliation, understanding, friendship and continued partnerships among its entire people.
This effort was led in partnership by the Richfield Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Richfield American Indian Education Group.
“We believe naming is important, just as who we recognize and celebrate is important,” says Brett Stursa, chairperson of the HRC. “The renaming of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day is very much in line with the city's core values of being equitable and celebrating diversity.”
Sarah Jesperson, coordinator of the American Indian Education Group told the Richfield City Council that the population of American Indian families in Richfield is growing, with approximately 130 students currently enrolled in Richfield Public Schools.
Those families are primarily from the Dakota and Ojibwa tribes, with representation from many other nations, as well.
Jesperson’s role as coordinator for the American Indian Education Group is to support native students both in and out of the classroom, and provide opportunities for support and community-building to native families in Richfield.
“Our events help our native families feel connected to the schools and to other native families in Richfield,” said Jesperson. “They know they have someone they can talk to at the schools and a connection to other native families.”
“Here in Richfield we value equity and diversity, and by making this proclamation we bring our community one step closer to recognizing the contributions of all those who have come before us and continue to make our community strong today,” said Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez.
The groups have been working on this effort for approximately six months, and feel that this is just the first step to broadening their efforts to honor the indigenous peoples of North America.
According to Stursa, the groups hope to organize an Indigenous Peoples’ Day event in 2020 to give all residents a chance to experience native cultures.
The group admits that until action is taken on a federal level, it will be the responsibility of local communities to recognize and promote Indigenous Peoples’ Day to their residents and students. Their hope is that the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day will be reflected in conversation, literature and messaging from local leaders.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Richfield
Alerts Sign-up