November 19, 2020, Berkeley, CA – The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Board of Education passed a resolution at the November 18, 2020 School Board meeting to annually declare November as Indigenous People’s Heritage month.
Resolution 21-014 annually recognizes the month of November as Indigenous People’s Heritage Month, and resolves that our public schools promote instructional activities and celebrations honoring the history, contemporary issues and culture of the Indigenous People of the Americas, including recognition of their significant contributions in Berkeley, the Bay Area, California, the United States and the world.
The Resolution notes that the Muwekma Ohlone people are alive and flourishing members of Berkeley and Bay Area communities today, maintaining cultural practices, revitalizing the Chochenyo language, protecting sacred places, and represented by a tribal government seeking restoration of federal recognition for the hundreds of members who are descendants of the Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County.
Noting that in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, the City of Berkeley declared October 12 as a “Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People” and replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, setting an example now followed by over 200 cities, universities and states, the Resolution affirms the District’s responsibility to acknowledge and make visible our history, our relationships and our debt to Indigenous Peoples.
“This Resolution unanimously approved by the Berkeley Unified Board of Education is an important reminder to honor and affirm the many members of our school community who are descended from the Indigenous People of the Americas and to incorporate their histories and experience into the public education the District provides,” said BUSD Superintendent Brent Stephens.
####