Waite Park Community Council adopts Diversity, Equity & Inclusion statement, land acknowledgement

The Waite Park Community Council at its Jan. 27 board meeting voted to adopt a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) statement and a land acknowledgement statement:

DEI Statement

We believe our organization and neighborhood will benefit from being more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We are committing to improving our engagement of underrepresented groups. We acknowledge that our community has benefited from past injustices, from the taking of Dakotah land to racist real estate practices. We are committed to listening, learning, self-reflection, and taking action with the hopes of becoming a more welcoming organization and community.

Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that Waite Park is located on stolen Dakotah land, land that was formerly inhabited by the Wahpekute (Wah-puh-koo-tee) of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Oh-cheh-tee Shah-koh-win), meaning Seven Councils of Fire. The people are also known to us as the Dakotah. The land that is now Waite Park was ceded to the United States of America on July 29, 1837 with the Treaty of 1837. The land included in this treaty travels southeast from what is now St. Cloud, Minnesota to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This includes the sacred place of Bdote in the southern Metro area. This land was ceded by the Dakotah with the trust and understanding that they would be paid, in addition to having their rights to hunt, fish and gather. The U.S. government didn't follow through on any of these conditions, instead forcing their removal from their homeland in Minnesota through the Indian Removal Act of 1863. To this day, there is still legislation in place stating that the Dakotah people aren’t legally allowed to live in the state of Minnesota. 

We pay reverence to those who came before us, not solely through the speaking of this acknowledgment, but most importantly, by doing the work to honor them: through examining white privilege, engaging in discussions about anti-racism, and bringing racial equity to the forefront of the decisions we make as a board so that our neighborhood is accessible to all. Both slavery and genocide played a role in the founding of the state of Minnesota; we keep all those who are impacted in our hearts and minds as we work towards creating a better present.