Tonight we will be presenting to the Brattleboro Selectboard, at their 5:30 meeting, a full complement of signed petitions to place an article on the 2016 RTM Warning for a permanent changein the Town from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Following the action at the Board’s Oct. 4th meeting, at which they (through a failed motion) declined to take direct action themselves on such an initiative, the remaining course of action was a petition drive. Five percent of the registered voter list is required, currently at about 8,760, thus 438 signatures are needed. While procedurally the signatures will be proofed by the Town Clerk, we are taking the step of formally notifying the Selectboard that we have reached the threshold and followed through on the original intention.
It is significant and important that this action take place here in Wantastegok/Brattleboro. This is the place credited with being “the first permanent British settlement in the State of Vermont” – Fort Dummer in 1724. This is Ground Zero: this is where the great change began and the stage was set for the rewriting of history, a myth we have all inherited. This is a small step in the dismantling of that myth, a re-righting of history by recognizing indigeneity which is, quite simply, a people in a place. It is appropriate that Brattleboro be the first Town to take this action.
438
Nicely, and rather quickly, done.
I agree that Brattleboro should be leading the way, being the first place Europeans set up shop in this region.
This is the least we can do. Very much the least, but a start. And small steps can get people going in the right direction.
A moral and simple decision
I hope this gets passed. It’s the right thing to do. Such a simplistic decision for the board to make – I wish I felt confident that they would start the process of bringing forth the true history. Good luck tonight.
Last night
Thank you for your support folks. We presented the full petitions last night right at the beginning of the 5:30 meeting. Two others spoke in support in addition to myself. No comment from the board at all, just nods. Today I will actually take them to the Town Clerk for filing and vetting. At a future meeting, the board will accept the Clerk’s proofed petitions and place it on the RTM Warning for actual voting on March 25th, as a binding resolution. Then it will be final, affirming last spring’s affirmative vote under non-binding “other business.”
Indigenous Peoples in Southern Vermont
One of the first things I did when I moved here to Vermont was research native people in the area. I found a lot of information, and evidence that English settlers totally took this land from the people who were here before them. Lots of stories about chasing bands of Abenaki back up Otter Creek to Lake Champlain.
The first 100 years of colonization were pretty horrible and dedicating a day to remembering the indigenous peoples in America is just about the least we can do.
Thankyou
I am just wondering if there is still opportunity to sign the petition. Would we go to the Town Clerk’s office to do so? Thank you so much for doing this.