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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-14-2023 Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation CommissionAd Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Thursday, September 14, 2023 Special Meeting 5:00 PM — Assembly Room, Iowa City Senior Center 28 South Linn Street AGENDA: 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. READING OF NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3. BACKGROUND ON THE AD HOC TRUTH & RECONCILIATION 4. INTRODUCTIONS 5. STRATEGIC DOING - How can we strategically build capacity and amplify the voices of BIPOC and ethnically oppressed Peoples in order to express their truths, all while addressing historical oppression, genocide, racism, and the need to de -construct colonial systems, ultimately creating foundations for safer spaces for healing and empowerment? :ONW-11 aL•1a:��ll�la,�� Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all City of Iowa City - sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation to participate in these events, please contact the Office of Equity and Human Rights at 319-356-5022 or humanriclhts(cDiowa-city.orcl. Agenda Item #2 Native American Land Acknowledgement Prepared for the City of Iowa City's Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Human Rights Commission PURPOSE Iowa City owes its existence to the many Indigenous Peoples who were the original stewards of this land and who were subjected to manipulation and violence by non-native settlers, invaders, and governments in order to make this moment possible. Acknowledgement of this truth is central to our work toward reconciliation across all barriers of difference and injustice. Starting with a Native American Land Acknowledgement, this Commission will bear witness to the legacies of violent displacement, migration, and settlement that have marginalized those who were the first inhabitants of this land. We must also address the mistreatment and exclusion that Native Americans continue to face today. The Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Human Rights Commission encourage the community and City of Iowa City to join us in these efforts through the use of a Native American Land Acknowledgement. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT To be read at all public meetings and events: "We meet today in the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands of Native American Nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The area of Iowa City was within the homelands of the Iowa, Meskwaki, and Sauk, and because history is complex and time goes far back beyond memory, we also acknowledge the ancient connections of many other Indigenous Peoples here. The history of broken treaties and forced removal that dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of their homelands was and is an act of colonization and genocide that we can not erase. We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reparations." LEARN MORE Native Governance Center Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement US Department of Arts and Culture: Honor Native Land Virtual Resources and Guide Meskwaki Nation - History Special thanks to the University of Iowa Native American Council for their work and guidance, as well as members of the public, for their input.