It’s not often that we get to commemorate two such important days simultaneously. On Monday, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating Indigenous People’s Day and National Coming Out Day!
On Indigenous People’s Day, we honor Native American and Indigenous communities and commemorate their histories and cultures. We take intentional time to acknowledge the historical harm and trauma experienced by Indigenous people in the US and across the world, and we do everything we can to raise awareness of the devastating harm that continues today—from recent discoveries of even more mass gravesites of Indigenous children in Canada, to the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women, to the poisoning of tribal waters, and so much more.
However, on Monday we not only focus on the impact of colonialism, we honor this holiday as an opportunity to lift up the beauty, brilliance, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities, to celebrate their rich history and traditions, and to show gratitude for the stewards, past and present, of land that has been stolen from them.
This year, as Indigenous People’s Day falls on National Coming Out Day, it’s also an important opportunity to lift up the need for recognition and awareness across identities, and to lift up the experiences of Native LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit folks. We send our appreciation and love to the many Native-led and serving grantee partners we get to work with, and Native American scholars whose leadership we get to support across the Northwest. We are proud to prioritize Black, Indigenous, and other people of color LGBTQ+ communities in all of our funding, and we will only continue deepening that commitment and working to center those most impacted by injustice today, tomorrow, and in the years to come.
Here are just a few things you can do on Monday to honor Indigenous People’s Day:
- Learn more and speak out against injustices that impact Indigenous communities
- Get involved with the Land Back Movement, a project of the NDN Collective
- Learn more about the stewards of the land you live on
- Thoughtfully incorporate land acknowledgements in events, virtual events, and emails, knowing that’s only one step in acknowledging harm
- Support local Native American and Indigenous communities with your money and time
- Take action to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day where you live
- Learn more about and support our Native-led and Native-focused grantee partners, including but not limited to AWARE, Biiluuke Strong, Flathead Reservation Human Rights Coalition, Indian Peoples Action, Indigenous Idaho Alliance, Montana Two Spirit Society, and Native Movement.
Thank you for joining us on Monday in honoring these two important days for our communities. Together, we can create a world where all LGBTQ+ folks and all Native American and Indigenous people can not only survive, but thrive.
Katie Carter is Pride Foundation CEO.