CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
title
A RESOLUTION supporting the creation of a United States Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools and other actions to address the lasting harm of Indian boarding schools.
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WHEREAS, we acknowledge that we are on the homelands of Chief Si'ahl (Seattle), who was a Chief of the dxw'd?w??b? (People-of-the-Inside), now known as the Duwamish Tribe of Indians. We acknowledge that the Duwamish River flows through lands adjacent to the Salish Sea that have been occupied and stewarded by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. We honor our Indigenous relatives by committing ourselves to the ongoing relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and these places; and
WHEREAS, we envision a city whose success, safety, and health are exemplified through our collective work: a city where all community members and visitors have the freedom, agency, and platform to share and amplify their true and accurate history, language, cultures and experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that our actions-both conscious and unconscious, past and present-have benefited some communities while limiting opportunities and outcomes for others, notably for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. The City of Seattle works toward our vision by addressing and working to eliminate institutional racism and to repair the damage caused by harmful policies and behaviors in programs and practices; and
WHEREAS, boarding schools for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians ("Indian boarding schools") were established by the United States Government to strip American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children of their Indigenous identities, beliefs, and languages, in order to assimilate them into non-Indian culture, through federally funded, Christian-denomination schools, which had the effect of cultural genocide; and
WHEREAS, Indian boarding schools employed practices including assimila...
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