Today and every day, we celebrate the immense contributions, culture, and resilience of the Native community – from the nine Federally Recognized Tribes here in Oregon, to the more than 570 Federally Recognized Tribes across the country, to all of our relatives that are still working toward formal Federal Recognition today.
This marks the first year that Oregon officially celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We welcome this opportunity for Oregonians to recognize the tribes and peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, the impact we have had in shaping Oregon’s past and present, and to acknowledge and work to understand the centuries of cruelty and injustice inflicted upon the Native community.
While we are glad for and celebrate this occasion, this is also an important moment to keep in mind that our communities are still dealing with the consequences of generations of oppression. It is not by coincidence that Tribes are on the frontlines of the impacts of COVID-19, are subject to ongoing efforts to suppress our right to vote, are fighting for access to safe and clean drinking water, and so much more.
On Oregon’s first official celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we hope that you and the Oregon Democratic community join us to reaffirm our commitment to fight and advocate for the causes that matter to us.
Click here to join the Native American Caucus
Click here to donate to the Native American Caucus
Kwała,
Carina Miller
Chair
Democratic Party of Oregon Native American Caucus
P.S. Today, we invite you to learn more about the traditional Native territories, languages and treaties in Oregon, across North America, and around the world by using this crowd-sourced, interactive tool.
