Resolution - Recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day

Adopted 3/13/2023

Westford School Committee Resolution Relating to the
Recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day in Westford
 
WHEREAS, the Westford School Committee recognizes that the town of Westford is located on the ancestral lands of the Nipmuc people; and
 
WHEREAS, the Westford School Committee recognizes that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in fact all of the Americas, were discovered, settled, and inhabited by Indigenous peoples going back thousands of years; and
 
WHEREAS, the Westford School Committee acknowledges the suffering of the Indigenous peoples in the United States, including historical genocides and forced relocations, but also ongoing systematic racism that perpetuates high rates of poverty and income inequality, exacerbating disproportionate health, education, and social crises; and
 
WHEREAS, the Westford School Committee promotes equity in the curriculum and culture of the school district, and to that end encourages its students, and all citizens of Westford, to deepen their understanding of the roots, history, and contributions of the Indigenous people of this region and the nation; and
 
WHEREAS, the Westford School Committee seeks to honor the Indigenous peoples of this region and recognizes that holidays are an intentional way of celebrating or memorializing persons, cultures, and events; now, therefore, be it
 
RESOLVED that the Westford School Committee voices its support for the ballot measure at the May 2, 2023, Town Election, which would declare the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day, superseding local references to Columbus Day, and recommends that it be observed by the people of Westford, with appropriate exercises in the schools and town.

ADOPTED by the Westford School Committee, by a 4-1 vote, on Monday, March 13, 2023
 
Chris Sanders, Chair
Valery Young, Vice Chair
Gloria Miller
Mingquan Zheng
Sean Kelly
Kathryn Clear
Marisol Garcia
school-committee@westfordma.gov