Dear IPD Philly Community, 

Happy solstice from Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly!

We have a lot of exciting news to share from the last three months! Our organization received grants from Samuel S. Fels Fund and the Bread & Roses Community Fund. We would like to thank these funders for their generous support. With these funds we have been able to improve our operations and increase our capacity, as well as improve our online presence. For example, please check out our renovated website! 

Since March, we have grown in size thanks to an increasing number of volunteers and newly contracted positions. Our volunteers work across several teams, including the Newsletter Team and the Education Team, the latter of whom are organizing a series of workshops titled “Let’s Indigenize the City with Indigenous Peoples’ Day”. Our newest team, the Action Community Team, was developed to address the recent lawsuit against Mayor Kenney which is attempting to reinstate Columbus Day in Philadelphia. 

To raise awareness of this issue, IPD Philly hosted a virtual protest on May 20 and an in-person rally at City Hall on June 10 titled Defend Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Philly. These demonstrations included many Indigenous speakers and allies who advocated for the abolishment of Columbus Day and for the permanent establishment of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Philadelphia, and eventually statewide and federally. We are immensely grateful to the speakers, performers, and volunteers who made these actions possible in just eight weeks!

If you missed either of these demonstrations–that’s okay!–you can find them on our Facebook page.

Additionally, our organization created an online petition to call attention to the racist rhetoric of this lawsuit and its attempt to reinstate Columbus Day. We also demand that the City include Indigenous Peoples in decision-making processes that impact our communities…. If you want to learn more please read our full statement and support us by signing our petition!

Lastly in this newsletter, we feature articles on Lenape Chief Tamanend, new examples of Indigenous representation in the city, and coping with historical trauma. Please share this newsletter and continue to spread the word about our campaign. Also, feel free to reach out to us with your thoughts, ideas, and feedback. 

Enjoy our Summer Newsletter!

Waníshi
Chaltumay
Ahéhee’ Tʼáá íiyisíí ahéheeʼ
Thank you
Gracias

IPD PHILLY – Board + Editors