Minneapolis, MN – With Native American activists and other supporters of social justice packing City Hall, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on Friday, April 25 to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. Minneapolis is the first city in Minnesota to do so, while Red Wing is about to vote on a similar resolution.

The Minneapolis resolution recognizes “the annexation of Dakota homelands for the building of our city” and says, “Indigenous Peoples Day shall be used to reflect upon the ongoing struggles of Indigenous people on this land, and to celebrate the thriving culture and value that Dakota, Ojibwe, and other Indigenous nations add to our city.”

The resolution is largely symbolic, with the name of the holiday changing on official Minneapolis communications from Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. But its symbolic nature does not negate its importance. Native organizations such as the American Indian Movement (AIM) and many others have pushed for such changes for decades to recognize the genocide carried out against Native peoples throughout the Americas and resistance to that genocide.

The resolution notes that the idea of 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. In 1990 representatives from 120 Indigenous nations at the First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance unanimously passed a resolution to transform Columbus Day into an occasion to strengthen the process of continental unity and struggle towards liberation, and thereby use the occasion to reveal a more accurate historical record.

Newly elected Ninth Ward City Councilperson Alondra Cano spearheaded the resolution. See the full resolution here.

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The letter states, “We are writing to share our concerns regarding reports about a Justice Department investigation of local Minneapolis peace and justice organizations and individual anti-war activists.”

The letter goes on to note, “This first came to our attention on September 24, 2010, when the homes of several Minneapolis residents were raided by FBI agents who confiscated computers, mailing lists, cell phones, passports, political literature, correspondence, and children’s drawings. That day the FBI also raided the office of the Anti-War Committee, an organization that the Minneapolis City Council, in 2007, publicly recognized as an important voice of nonviolence and political dissent. In connection with these raids, it appears that several Minneapolis residents have been investigated and served with subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury to testify regarding alleged material support for foreign terrorist organizations.

As elected officials we are committed to serving our constituents and our community. In that capacity we are formally sharing our concerns about the expansion of government surveillance of social justice organizations and anti-war activists in Minnesota as evidenced by this event. We are deeply concerned about the chilling effects these activities might have on completely nonviolent and legal activism as well as the threat it poses to the freedoms of speech and association and health of our democracy in general.”

The letter was signed by 12 of the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council.

The letter is one of the many of statements that have been made by public officials, labor and community leaders opposing repression against anti-war and international solidarity activists.

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