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Resolution providing for the formal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the City of Pittsburgh as the second Monday of October to honor and appreciate the plight, contributions, culture, survivance, and achievements of the Indigenous communities in and around the City of Pittsburgh.
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WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes Indigenous Peoples of the lands that would later become known as the Americas who have occupied these continents since time immemorial; and
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh acknowledges the harms and irreplaceable loss to collective humanity in the form of ongoing atrocities committed against Indigenous communities; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the occupation of the ancestral, traditional, and present-day territories of the Seneca, Lenape, and Shawnee Nations; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh values the many contributions made to the community through the knowledge, labor, technology, science, philosophy, and arts of Indigenous Peoples, which has substantially shaped the character of these lands and the City of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2011, Pittsburgh City Council proclaimed Pittsburgh a Human Rights City, as part of the Human Rights City Alliance, in order to build infrastructure for a more just and equitable city that promotes active engagement at the local, national, and global level; and,
WHEREAS, continuing this commitment, the City of Pittsburgh promotes closing the equity gap for Indigenous Peoples through policies and practices that reflect the particular experiences of Indigenous Peoples in order to ensure them greater access and opportunity, and to honor our nation’s Indigenous roots, history, and contributions; and,
WHEREAS, 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, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the City of Pittsburgh is necessary to honor the plight and hardship, as well as the achievements, cultural heritage, and triumphs of Indigenous Peoples on this land; and,
WHEREAS, the Council of City of Pittsburgh passed a Will of Council on December 2, 2014 as a first step in recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, with the support of Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center, a representative organization of the Native community; and,
WHEREAS, in that Will of Council, the Council set the intention to work with members of the Indigenous communities in the City to achieve a resolution to more formally recognize and officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. The Council of the City of Pittsburgh does herby further recognize the second Monday of October as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” to commend and affirm its commitment to human rights, to promote tolerance, understanding, and friendship, and to overcome prejudice and eliminate further discrimination stemming from colonization; and
Section 2. The City of Pittsburgh encourages businesses, organizations, and public entities to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day as the second Monday of October.