(Daily Caller News Foundation) — The Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting opened Monday, with one of the first items on its agenda being a “land acknowledgement.”
The DNC’s meeting comes weeks after a Quinnipiac poll showing only 19% of respondents approved of the party’s congressional leadership was released, while the party also dealt with infighting and difficulty meeting fundraising goals. After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and brief remarks from the pastor of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota’s church, DNC Chairman Ken Martin introduced the next speaker.
“Now please welcome a friend of mine from the Minnesota DFL, the treasurer, her name is Lindy Sowmick, who is from the Saginaw Ojibwe Nation and she’s going to deliver our land acknowledgment today,” Martin said.
Land acknowledgements are often used to acknowledge “indigenous peoples” who allegedly “owned” the land where an event is taking place, according to PBS.
“Good morning, DNC members, friends and relatives, let’s talk about the land for a second. The DNC acknowledges and honors the … Dakota people, who are the original stewards of the lands and waters of Minneapolis. The Dakota cared for the lands, lakes and the … great river, the Mississippi River, for thousands of years before colonization,” Sowmick said. “This land was not claimed or traded, it’s a part of a history of broken treaties and promises, and in many ways, we still live in a system built to suppress indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual history.”
“As Democrats, I ask of every one of you to not allow land acknowledgments like these to just simply be the checking of a box,” Sowmick. “Be curious, ask questions, ensure our native neighbors are heard and work in partnership with your indigenous communities. Honor the legacy of this land and its people by engaging today with each other with honesty, humility, respect and compassion. Thank you so much.”
This article was originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
