Native American Heritage Month: CLICK to Watch and View City of Evanston Proclamation
November 1, 2020 - November 30, 2020
At the request of the City of Evanston, MMAI collaborated with the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University and the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative to assist the City of Evanston in formally recognizing Native American Heritage Month. The following proclamation was submitted and read by Mayor Stephen Howard Hagerty:
Whereas, the Evanston community sits on the ancestral lands of the Three Fires Council (Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi) and various tribes, which utilized the region seasonally for subsistence living.[1]
Whereas, Northwestern University seeks to partner with organizations through research that serves Native and Indigenous people of Evanston and beyond.
Whereas, community institutions like the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, which is a member of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative, continue work to preserve and promote Indigenous voices within Evanston and across the nation.
Whereas, Native Americans serve in the United States Armed Forces at a rate higher than any other group, and it is fitting to honor Veterans within the same month. [2]
Whereas, displaced tribal communities from the Evanston area and across the nation continue to exert their sovereign rights and unique status as sovereign nations.[3]
Whereas, the designation of Native American Heritage Month seeks to highlight Indigenous contributions rather than limit cultural celebrations and conversations that can take place year-round.
Whereas, The City of Evanston recognizes Native American Heritage Month to honor the rich past of Native Americans and also to celebrate the vibrant and resilient present community of Native Americans in Evanston and across the Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Stephen Howard Hagerty, Mayor of the City of Evanston, Illinois, do hereby proclaim November 2020 as “EVANSTON NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, as the official designated month for the City of Evanston’s Annual Native American Heritage Month, and call upon the people of Evanston to join together in recognizing and participating in this special observance.
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