Title
Recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Saint Paul.
Body
Whereas, recognizing that Saint Paul is on Dakota land, we acknowledge the importance of the Dakota sacred places that exist here; and
Whereas, the idea of Indigenous Peoples Day was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native nations to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas; and
Whereas, to reveal a more accurate historical record of the “discovery” of the United States of America, representatives from 120 Indigenous nations at the First Continental Conference on 500 years of Indian Resistance, unanimously passed a resolution in 1977 to transform Columbus Day into an occasion to recognize the contributions of Indigenous people; and
Whereas, the City of Saint Paul has a strong history of supporting the American Indian community and its advancement in our society and has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day since 2015; and
Whereas, nearly 900 Saint Paul students, representing 60 tribes, identify as American Indian and an estimated 1,500 students have some ancestral ties to American Indian tribes, with the largest groups representing Ojibwe, Lakota, Dakota and Ho-Chunk nations from Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas; and
Whereas, the American Indian Education Program assists Saint Paul teachers who want to create meaningful lesson plans that highlight the history, culture and modern experiences of the American Indian community and has always tried to balance the narratives taught in many history textbooks with the lived experiences and oral histories of American Indian people; and
Whereas, many Saint Paul students participate in Ojibwe and Lakota-Dakota language classes, American Indian literature, American Indian history and American Indian art classes; and
Whereas, Saint Paul Public Schools and its Indian Education Program in collaboration with local American Indian agen...
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