On October 12th, 2015, Seattle came together to celebrate our second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day. When I first took office in early 2014, indigenous activists had been trying to secure sponsorship for the Indigenous Peoples’ Day resolution – without success. My office responded to the community immediately. Together with Matt Remle, the author of last year’s historic resolution, […]

On October 12th, 2015, Seattle came together to celebrate our second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This year, we came back to honor the community, and fight for the unanimously passage of a groundbreaking resolution to condemn the horrific United States Indian Boarding School Policy, which was in effect from 1869 to the 1960s. For more, see my speech from the ceremony below.  […]

Come out and celebrate Seattle’s second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day! For more on the day’s events, go here, and please read my statement on the resolution we will be presenting below. Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2015 – Recognizing the Painful History of the Indian Boarding School Policy Last year, it was my good fortune to have worked with indigenous […]

Last year, it was my good fortune to have worked with indigenous community activists on the creation of Indigenous People’s Day in Seattle. By passing this historic resolution, the City of Seattle rejected a celebration of Columbus Day, and honored the history and memory of those who experienced the brutal realities of colonialism and genocide. This […]

It was an honor to celebrate Seattle’s first Indigenous Peoples’ Day alongside the activists and organizers who made it all possible. This action was long overdue, and media outlets from around the nation and the world correctly recognized the importance of what we have achieved in Seattle. See below for some of my interviews from the past few […]

After weeks of collaboration with Indigenous Rights activists, on Monday, October 6th, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 31538, declaring the second Monday in October “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in the City of Seattle. It was an honor to work with activists to draft the legislation, and to sponsor it. Check out […]