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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-15-2022 Ad Hot Truth and Reconciliation CommissionAd Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Agenda Thursday, December 15, 2022, 7 PM Emma J. Harvat Hall City Hall 410 E. Washington Street In order to encourage input from the public, the Commission intends to offer the opportunity to participate in the meeting remotely. However, this meeting is in -person, and those wishing to ensure their ability to participate should attend the meeting in person. If you instead wish to participate remotely, you may attempt to do so by joining the below link. Please note that the meeting link and ID for the first Thursday of each month is different than the link and ID for the third Thursday of each month. Third Thursday Meetings https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN Icil8llPSRgluOxPIL-1Ew ID: 895 3695 0485 If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID when prompted. Meeting Agenda: 2. ROLL CALL 3. READING OF NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES FROM DECEMBER 1, 2022 5. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (TRC MEMBERS SHALL NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE PUBLIC CONCERNING SAID ITEMS) 6. ICCSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INCIDENT FOLLOW-UP 7. PROPOSAL FOR FACILITATOR SERVICES 8. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS/STAFF (TRC MEMBERS SHALL NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH ONE ANOTHER CONCERNING SAID ANNOUNCEMENTS) 0�_1i7I0111 :J ifflVATPO : MEETING PACKET CONTENTS: 1. AGENDA: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022 2. DRAFT MEETING MINUTES: DECEMBER 1, 2022 3. NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4. IOWA CITY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS TESTIMONY LETTER If you will need a disability -related accommodation to participate in this meeting please contact the Equity Director, Stefanie Bowers, at 319-356.5022 or at stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your accessibility needs. Native American land Acknowledgement Prepared for the City of Iowa City's Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Human Rights Commission PURPOSE Iowa City owes its existence to the many Indigenous Peoples who were the original stewards of this land and who were subjected to manipulation and violence by non-native settlers, invaders, and governments in order to make this moment possible. Acknowledgement of this truth is central to our work toward reconciliation across all barriers of difference and injustice. Starting with a Native American Land Acknowledgement, this Commission will bear witness to the legacies of violent displacement, migration, and settlement that have marginalized those who were the first inhabitants of this land. We must also address the mistreatment and exclusion that Native Americans continue to face today. The Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Human Rights Commission encourage the community and City of Iowa City to join us in these efforts through the use of a Native American Land Acknowledgement. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT To be read at all public meetings and events: "We meet today in the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands of Native American Nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The area of Iowa City was within the homelands of the Iowa, Meskwaki, and Sauk, and because history is complex and time goes far back beyond memory, we also acknowledge the ancient connections of many other Indigenous Peoples here. The history of broken treaties and forced removal that dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of their homelands was and is an act of colonization and genocide that we can not erase. We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reparations." LEARN MORE Native Governance Center Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement US Department of Arts and Culture: Honor Native Land Virtual Resources and Guide Meskwaki Nation - History Special thanks to the University of Iowa Native American Council for their work and guidance, as well as members of the public, for their input. December 1, 2022 Draft Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Minutes Emma J. Harvat Hall, City Hall Commissioners present: Mohamed Traore (via Zoom), Chastity Dillard, Clif Johnson, Marie Krebs, Kevo Rivera, Lauren Merritt, Wangui Gathua, Eric Harris, Sikowis (Christine Nobiss) (Via Zoom). Commissioners absent: None. Staff present: Stefanie Bowers. Community members who spoke at the meeting: V Fixmer-Oraiz. Recommendation to City Council: No. Meeting called to order: 7:04. Reading of Native American Land Acknowledgement: Dillard read the Land Acknowledgement Approval of Minutes from October 20, 2022: Rivera moved, and Merritt seconded. Motion passed 9-0. Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda: None. ICCSD Elementary School Performance Incident: Shimek Elementary recently hosted Juana Martinez -Neal, author and illustrator of the children's book "Fry Bread". Subsequent to this program, students at the school performed a culturally inappropriate and racist event that was intended to imitate a Pow wow. School officials, including the principal and teacher, were spoken to about the incident. The teacher reported having gotten the idea from a book. The concerns are that one, this performance is comparable to the students wearing blackface, it is also alarming in that youth will grow up thinking that this is ok. Teachers in the district should receive training on Indigenous history and culture. One resource is "Rethinking Columbus: Rethinking Columbus Expanded". Members of the TRC will draft a letter for the ICCSD School Board and maybe have a sit down with them in the future. This item will be placed on the next agenda for the TRC. It is important for both the ICCSD and the City Council to have backing for the stated commitments they have made. Vote to Change Meetings to Once a Month: The overall opinion was that moving to once a month will stall or slow down the work of the TRC and so the TRC will continue to meet the first and third Thursdays of each month. Books and Materials Sent by Divided Communities: The TRC will use this time between now and when and if the proposal is approved by the City Council to learn more about the restorative justice process by reading and having conversations on resources that have been provided to them. Draft Proposal: Staff provided that they received the final version of the proposal on November 211t. Staff will meet the week of December 12 to further discuss. Staff should know more about the timeframe for the proposal going to City Council for their consideration after this meeting and will so inform the TRC Commission Announcements: Dillard invited fellow commissioners to attend the Johnson County Neighborhood Association's Cocoa and Cookies being held on Friday, December 9 from 4:30-6:30 PM. Rivera spoke on recent action at the state level to shift millions from public schools. Gathua has been invited to participate in the Christian Faith Academy's Anniversary Celebration being held on Saturday, December 3. Adjourned: 8:48 PM. City Board and Commission meetings are recorded and can be viewed in their entirety by visiting this link. 0 N m C Cr 0. 0. N P- r N a N N N N N N N N N N N L-1 F' W Indigenous Community Members of Iowa City 412 Kimball Road Iowa City, IA 52245 Phone: (319) 331-8034 Email: sikowisCc_.greatplainsaction.org Monday, December 5, 2022 Ruthina Malone, President, ICCSD Board of Education Laura Gray, Executive Director of Diversity & Cultural Responsiveness, ICCSD Matt Degner, Superintendent, ICCSD Bruce Teague, Mayor, City of Iowa City Chasity Dillard, Chair, Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission Jason Glass, Chair, Iowa City Human Rights Commission Re: Ongoing racial discrimination towards Indigenous Peoples sanctioned by the City of Iowa City and the Iowa City Community School District Dear Leaders of the City of Iowa City and the Iowa City Community School District, We, the Indigenous Community Members of Iowa City, are writing to demand change in City and School District policy concerning the treatment of Natve American Indigenous Peoples. It is the duty of our schools to educate our children with truth and compassion as well as the duty of this city to stand for justice and end racism. When our children are taught false narratives in school and activities sanctioned by the city it is doing them harm. When they are exposed to disrespectful behavior, that behavior is normalized. We appreciate that the School District and Iowa City has every intention of providing for all its students and citizens and is not actively seeking to engage in anti -Indigenous activities, but unfortunately it is. The problem is that a non -Indigenous framework is inadequate for fully understanding the impact of certain beliefs, actions, and behaviors on children within the school system and those that live in Iowa City. Furthermore, it is not just Native children that are harmed by anti -Indigenous racism, all children are wronged by exposure to it. In recognizing that the exposure to racism is something that is harmful to all children, it should be clear that the work of rooting out racism is work we should be actively focusing on. Because much of the racism we need to address is racism of ignorance, not malice and a first step will involve illuminating instances of racism that might not be recognized as such. White supremacy is effective because it is really good at hiding itself. It has embedded itself in our (American) culture, our language, and our social structures. Deeply entrenched as it may be, white supremacy must be eradicated. Because it harms everyone. Here is a list of recent accounts of racism within the City and School District: 1. a) Testimony by Eloise Roach In the 2019-2020 school year, the first assignment for my American Studies class was to "design a colony." We were told that is was set in the year 1620 in order to not have to deal with issues of slavery, which is obviously not historically accurate, but the reasoning my teacher gave. When I expressed discomfort with the idea of creating a colony in which we would have to steal Native land in order to create it my teacher said that the land was already settled and that land theft was not an issue. Again, this is not historically accurate. I decided to advocate against it strongly and was given an alternative assignment. Throughout the following week as my white and non -Native classmates were working on this assignment, many would loudly make comments about how a solution to deal the "the Indian problem" was to kill them. They would do this only when around me at laugh when I got visibly upset. I did not feel comfortable talking to my teacher about this and these same classmates would continually make derogatory comments that went unaddressed by my teacher throughout the year, even when he was aware of them. I recall frequently hearing my teacher telling students off for talking durinig his lecutres but he never discussed the blatantly discriminatory things they were saying. I thought that the assignment was confined to my classroom, as my teacher had developed those materials more than 20 years ago, but later that year my friends in other classrooms, including SEJH's CASTL program also participated. My friends attempted to band together to do an alternative assignment, but were unable to due to their teachers. Those friends parents decided to not get involved so they were required to do the assignment or take a zero on a major assignment. I do not know if this assignment is still being utilized at SEJH, but the ignorance and reluctance to change that it demostrated are a part of a larger problem. 1. b) Testimony by Eloise Roach In American Studies 8th grade, the same class dicussed above, during the week we learned about Indigenous peoples of North America, my classmates would loudly and incorrectly immitate traditional/powwow singing. When I told them to stop, as it was incredibly culturally incesinsitive, my teacher told us both to be quiet. Throughout that week, the same people would mock the ceremonial and cultural songs, without interupption from the teacher. We continued to we watch a stereotyped and inaccurate video about the five tribes he decided were relevant and representative of Indigenous people. One of those tribes was my own and I knew that there were many things that he discussed and taught us that were inaccurate or overgeneralized, such as our ceremonial practices and removal history. However, felt deeply uncomfortable discussing the issues with anyone. This was because when my family and I attempted to reach out to school admin, they either would say they were working on it and not provide any information about the process, eventually not replying to emails. Other times admin would respond saying it was out of their hands because they did not oversee curriculum. 1. c) Testimony by Eloisa Roach During the 2020-2021 school year, my AP U.S. History teacher began his first lesson with a slideshow describing why colonizers percieve Native American's as inferior. There was incridibly limited information given on Native peoples, with the primary focus being on colonial perceptions. The very first peice of information offered about Indigenous People was an estimate that there were 2-6 million of us prior to colonization throughout all of the Americas. Most modem sources point this number to be closer to 60-100 million in North America alone. This type of misinformation about Indigenous people continued throughout the class. 1. d) Testimony by Eloisa Roach On December 6th, 2022, my teacher used a slur against Inuit people in order to make a derogatory joke about their experience as artic Indigenous people. When my friends and I called her out on it, she removed the joke but refuted any wrongdoing. Later in that same class she engaged me in an over 15 minute conversation that lasted until the end of the period about me being overly "defensive." 2. a) Testimony by Marie Krebs In October 2019, 1 signed my son up to play football with the RedZone League here in Iowa City. He was assigned to the Redskins team. Redskin is a racial slur used against Indigenous peoples. I reached out by email and phone to discuss this with someone at the League. I was completely ignored. No one responded. I spent a football season not knowing how to cheer for my son's football team, sitting through people yelling racial slurs. This month, I was sent a video of a performance at a local school showcasing an act in which students were guided to perform what was supposed to be Native American music and dance. The children had been instructed to drum and chant sounds. Non -Indigenous people playing Indian is a mockery of ceremonial ways. After the colonial invasion, legislation had to be passed in order for these ceremonies to be held by each nation. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed in 1978. 3. a) Testimony by Sikowis Nobiss On November 16, 2022 1 was so excited to see my daughter perform at Shimek Elementary as it concerned the Frybread book that they had been reading, which is about Indigneous culture and food. The illustrator had even come to Iowa City to do a reading for all the Iowa City School District First and Second Graders. As an Indingeous parent with Indigenous children I was surprised at first as there has never been anything like this in Iowa City since my children have been a part of the system that uplifted our culture like this. I dressed my daughter in her ribbon skirt, braid and hair ties with pride only to be disappointed and disrespected. I had to watch the children "play Indian" by enacting our sacred drumming practices while singing gibberish and dancing into the room like they were in a powwow. Immediately after the event was over, I asked the teacher where she got this idea from and she told me that she had Native American friends in Chicago—1 didn't even know how to respond as that is a non -answer. After further investigation, the Shimek Principle, Chris Pisarik confirmed that the teacher had also reference a book where she learned to drum, sing whatever came to mind and dance. Please see the attached screenshots of the pages she referenced from the book Moving Within the Circle, by Bryan Burton. The excuse was that the book was written by a Native American person, but just like all populations, Indigenous Peoples also vary and not everyone is working to make things better for our cause. Also, just because something is written in a book, it does not mean it is legitimate and/or meant for white folks to emulate. My daughter and Chris Pisarik also confirmed that the children watched a powwow video to learn how to dance. Firstly, drumming is sacred and like a prayer. Folks that sit a grandfather drum need to be in a certain mental state and place in life so they can pray this way. To see children sing gibberish words and smack sticks on a snare drum and some big plastic play drum was hard to watch. There was also dancing whereby the children danced on to the gym floor like they were doing Grand Entry at a powwow, which bothered me as well, because all our dances mean something and this was erasing the meaning and cultural importance of these dances. To truly make a point, my co -parent said, 'how would they feel if Native kids went up on stage and mocked a catholic mass ceremony?' As a commissioner on the Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Executive Director of Great Plains Action Society, I am an expert in matters of racist acts towards Indigneous folks such as tokenization, romanization, Playing Indian, erasure, and violence. In fact, I consulted with the ICCSD Diversity & Cultural Responsiveness Committee on February 16, 2022 and told them I was available to consult. I also told them to buy the book recommended below for teachers. The fact that teachers know that they have access to this committee who has access to Indingeous experts like myself with children at the school in question is upsetting. Are teachers not required to consult with this committee before stepping into such tricky territory? I find this unbelievable and ask that the demands below be granted. 3. b) Testimony by Sikowis Nobiss When my son was in preschool or Kindergarten at Shimek Elementary, which is about seven years ago now, I told the teacher that I would take my son out on days that mythologies of Thanksgiving and Columbus might be taught, I also mentioned that I would not be ok with children wearing costumes that mock Indigneous regalia. Every year, I give my kid's teacher the book Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years so they can teach about Indingeous histories and issues properly. Unfortunately, when I went to pick up my son during the Thanksgiving season, I noticed that the teacher had made a felt board with velcro laminated pieces of paper that had pictures of pilgrims, Indians, tipis and tomahawks. She was teaching them the false mythology about Thanksgiving after I had told her not to do this with my son present. This is the type of racism that is Insidious and sanctioned by the state and the school system itself and it is what causes continued violence and erasure of my people. I made a complaint but nothing was done about it. Please read the Letter to the Editor that I wrote in 2016 for Little Village. 3. c) Testimony by Sikowis Nobiss I took a look at my son's Social Studies textbook when he was in fourth grade and it described the building of a city, which I think was either Seattle or San Francisco. The book started with a ship showing up to Shore and building on empty land. Of course we know this is false and it is another attempt to whitewash and erase the history and Legacy of indigenous peoples on this continent. This is what I would consider, propaganda that is being instilled in our children's minds so that they will grow up and do the same thing. I complained about this and nothing was done about it. 4. a) Testimony by Alicia and Daniel Velasquez On November 17, 2022 at Mann Elementary School a tokenizing incident occurred that mocked Indigenoius culture. At the end of enacting the book, they played Native American powwow music (with drumming and singing) and the kids were encouraged to move their bodies to music like an interpretive dance. This is problematic because there is a specific way based on long held cultural and traditional beliefs in how we dance to certain songs and a "white' interpretation is offensive and, again, taking things into their own hands. The teacher said she sent numerous emails to local Indigenous folks asking for consultation, but this is a problematic answer as the City of Iowa city School District has a Diversity & Cultural Responsiveness Committee that is accessible to all teachers and staff. Furthermore, Sikowis Nobiss, Executive Director, Great Plains Action Society, had consulted with them months prior on how to better for Indigneous children in the district so they were well aware that consultants are readily available. End of Testimony We understand that these events and ongoing behaviors are a result of ignorance due to racism, erasure, whitewashing and stereotyping, but we are letting the City of Iowa City and The Iowa City School District know that, as of right now, institutionalized racism towards Indigneous Peoples will no longer be tolerated. By no longer tolerated, we mean that we demand that all teachers and affiliated teaching staff receive the book, Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. This teaching resource can be used for K-12 and "the new edition has over 100 pp. of new material, including a role-play trial of Columbus, materials on Thanksgiving Day, resources, historical documents, poetry, and more. It will help readers replace murky legends with a better sense of who we are and why we are here — and celebrates over 500 years of the courageous struggles and lasting wisdom of native peoples." If this is something that the school board cannot afford, we are willing to go to the truth and reconciliation commission for the funding or to another source in Iowa City. We also want anti -racism training specifically for understanding Indigneous Peoples and their cultures and how to properly interact with them. We would like this to occur annually for ICCSD staff and teachers as well for the City of Iowa City staff and supervisors. We would also like to see Iowa City invest in a proper Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in the same way they invest in Junteenth or Latino Fest. Furthermore, the Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Committee was set up to hear from folks like us and it cannot do so if it is continually being undermined by city politics. We would like the City of Iowa City to fast track the TRC budget so consultants can start the Truth and Reconciliation process that we deserve. Iowa City Indigenous Community Members Plains Cree/Saulteaux, George Gordon First Nation Executive Director, Great Plains Action Society Commissioner, Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission Eloisa Roach Shawnee Tribe/sawanooki Student, City High School Marie Krebs Apache Commissioner, Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission Jessica Engelking Descendant of White Earth Band of Ojibwe Representation Director, Great Plains Action Society Alicia Velasquez Chiricahua Apache Owner, House of Dott'izhi in Iowa City Daniel Velasquez Pascua Yaqui Owner, South Side Street Foods in Iowa City Excerpt from Moving Within the Circle, by Bryan Burton as referenced in Sikowis Nobiss' testimony 3. a I NTE RTRI BAL DANCE OSSERVEP: Baltimore ow -wows, with minor differences.Wow, 1990, '91 '92; frequently heard at east coast and Canadian ntic. Mixed of ho en or theid group to sing because itwas knownrtohse to tak�part e�around the drum This song was � P g everyone RE(ORDINC: "Intertribal Dance" oncompaniontape gA(KG ROU N D: This song is representative of the modem intertribal style popular at pow -wows. The style of song is derived from the Plains traditions, but the vocal style is influenced by the tribal preference of tits performing group. Because of the widespread usage of this tune, lyrics vary wnsidewbly from performance to performance. Sometimes only vocables will be used with even the choice of vocables determined by the performing grcup's preference while at other times lyrics in the language of the perfomdng group may be used. The version given here is popular inthe mid -Atlantic region. Over the years, I have heard it sung in many versions at the Baltimore Pow -Wow, which is typically held late in November of each year, coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend. The function of this particular song also varies according to performer preference. It may be used as a grand entry song at a pow -wow when all dancers and dignitaries formally enter the arena for opening ceremonies. Dancers are grouped by type and each group enters dancing its particular style. It is truly an inspiring spectacle. At a less formal gathering, an intertribal song may simply be used to get everyone dancing regardless of style (traditional, fancy, jingle, shawl, etc.). Dancers may or may not group themselves by style --grouping by family, friends, or tribe is not uncommon. On occasion, an intertribal song may be used as a specific type of social dance, e.g. Round Dance, Two -Step, or Forty-Niner, particularly if the singers come from different drums and lesbuot becaususe e f many Years of contac own songs forpa blending has e modem pow -wow includes many tribal sty le is begun to take place where the stylistic edges blur, and what is known as the pan -Indian style common. Excerpt from Moving Within the Circle, by Bryan Burton as referenced in Sikowis Nobiss' testimony 3. FRIENDSHIP DANCE OBSERVED: Flagstaffpow-Wow - Arizona; July'1990. GROUP: Western Apache ache singers on the RECORDING: "I Walk in Beauty" as Performed by Western Apache companion tape.A transcription of this song is included on the previous page. Almost any sociv or round dance song is appropriate for this dance, particularly those of the Navajo and Apache. In addition to songs of these types found in this collection, songs from numerous recordings listed in the discography may be used, including those on Music of the White Mountain Apache (Canyon). BACKGROUND: Although the group I observed performing this dance in Flagstaff were Apache, the dance itself is quite common among most western and Plains tribes. Dances designated as "friendship" dances have been documented from the mid -nineteenth century forward. The movement in each of these dances varies from the steps given below to a round dance version to more complicated couple dances. However, the theme of unity and friendship is common. This dance was learned at the Flagstaff Pow -Wow when I was selected to perform with the troupe by friends who had worked with me the previous summer —these Apache were the same who had given medical aid to the rather clumsy researcher (me) who had the misfortune to step on a sleeping rattlesnake. The observers had a thoroughly good time enjoying a newly discovered version of the snake dance before giving help (the snake's fangs had become caught in the shoe leather and the victim was vigorously trying to shake the snake loose!!) DANCE INSTRUCTIONS: This dance allows great individual freedom for the participants by using the simplest version of the Friendship Dance: • A person may dance as an individual, as part of a couple, or as part of a larger group. The groups may be mixed gender or single gender. Groups are frequently couples, families, or simply groups of friends. • Members of the group may join hands, link arms, or let the arms hang freel • Dancers or dance groups mayor may not —move forward and back at the • The exact number of steps forward and back may v Y by the sides. Because of this flexibility, st , y vary with each dancer or same time. group movement to young s ud nts, includingFrietho etreluctantance tto Participate in group c dancers. situation. The uY be effectively used to introduce purpose of the dance, to the Native American, is to express friendship special group of people, all dancers, or simply dance respected. P y all humankind. Individual differences wall a May we all seek to walk in balance on the Earth and truly walk in the Pathway are deeply Y of Beauty, s_ Class project referenced in Eloisa Roach's testimony 1. a Introduction to Colony Project Name Elavh "Ch You have landed in Virginia. It is 1620. You are about to set up your own colony. ` As you watch the excerpts from "Colonial House", feel free to write down some �. ideas in your graphic organizer. Within your colony, you have 50 people — 20 Y men, 20 women and 10 children (all under the age of 12). The adults must include at least one governor and three indentured servants — that doesn't mean one of you will be the governor, only that you have to have one. To be more realistic, you might want to have twenty or more of the adults be indentured servants (see definition below). Each group will he responsible for setting up its own colony. You will need one person to act as recorder for your group and to type up the proposal. You will need to convince me, the investor, to spend money setting up your colony. If you can't convince me, you will stay in England, and England was not a particularly nice place to live in those days. Each member of your group is expected to contribute. Points will be earned on an individual basis — this means that each member of the group will earn his or her own grade, based on contributions made. There are 50 points possible. Use the graphic organizer on the back side of this sheet to write notes. Use these notes to construct a one page written summary of the plan for your colony. Each group will turn in one summary. In addition, you will draw a man• detailing the plans for the colony. This will be done a separate sheet of paper from the written summary and will also be turned in with your summary. Make sure the names of all group members are on both sheets of paper. Indentured servant: a person (not a slave) who agrees to work for a period of time to pay off the cost of his or her voyage to America. Usually, they worked from four to seven years.