Human Rights Commission Meeting Date: September 10, 2020
To: Human Rights Commission
From: Beth Kallestad, Program Coordinator
Title
Update on Land Acknowledgement Statement
Body
Action Requested:
The Human Rights Commission receives update on community presentation regarding Land Acknowledgement Statement.
Summary Report:
The HRC is planning a community presentation that will be hosted as an event through the Northfield Public Library on September 23, 2020 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM regarding the Land Acknowledgement Statement. Professor Meredith McCoy will provide a presentation. HRC members will take questions.
The HRC is currently scheduled to bring forward a resolution requesting adoption of a Land Acknowledgment Statement at the October 6, 2020 City Council Meeting.
The following is the draft language proposed for the Land Acknowledgement Statement:
We stand on the homelands of the Wahpekute and Mdewakanton Bands of the Dakota Nation. We honor with gratitude the people who have stewarded the land throughout the generations and their ongoing contributions to this region. We acknowledge the ongoing injustices that we have committed against the Dakota Nation, and we wish to interrupt this legacy, beginning with acts of healing and honest storytelling about this place.
Alternative Options:
NA
Financial Impacts:
NA
Tentative Timelines:
October 6 - City Council meeting