Celebrated every year on the second Monday of October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is always such an uplifting date that I have had the opportunity to observe for many years now. It honors the culture, history, and contributions of Indigenous communities in this country — Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians — and is also an important day to learn about and reflect on the historical mistreatment Indigenous people endured and the rights and sovereignty they have today.
The Leland Cultural Center’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day programming held at the Old Art Building (OAB) has been an event I’ve attended for the last two years. The various organizations and community members who put it together do an amazing job offering the public a wide range of activities to participate in. Dozens of students from local schools like Leland and Northport have attended, along with school staff and the public, making for great turnouts over the last several years.
It was encouraging to see all of the youth in the audience eager to learn about the history and culture of the Indigenous people in this region: the Anishinaabek.
