Essex County Shows Solidarity On Indigenous Peoples’ Day – Patch
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Communities across the nation celebrated a landmark Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, including Essex County.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day – which was recognized by President Joe Biden this year – is a day to honor Native Americans and their contributions to U.S. society. It takes place on the second Monday of October, the same day as Columbus Day.
Here are a few ways that residents, officials and advocates in the county marked this year’s celebration.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
In observance of the holiday, Newark closed City Hall and suspended most non-emergency local municipal services. Police, fire and other uniformed emergency services were unaffected. The city’s municipal court was closed on Indigenous Peoples Day, with a judge available to preside over bail hearings for defendants in custody.
East Orange also closed municipal buildings in observance of the holiday.
In West Orange, Mayor Robert Parisi proclaimed that the second Monday of October will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the township.
“Every day, we’re surrounded with reminders of our nation’s Native American ancestors,” Parisi said in a video, pointing out the town’s own historic links to the Lenape.
#HappyIndigenousPeoplesDay! Today, Mayor Robert D. Parisi, Township of West Orange, NJ proclaims the second Monday of October will now be Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the township of West Orange. An honor to work with him and others to make this possible. https://t.co/VngtBlh2Yy pic.twitter.com/0LEQlEFW7w
— Dr. David E. Jones (he/him) (@davidearljones) October 11, 2021
ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice said that its members stand in solidarity with Indigenous people celebrating their roots and exerting their right to sovereignty.
“In New Jersey, we are on the stolen land of Lenni-Lenape and Nanticoke-Lenape nations,” the group wrote in a social media post.
On this
#IndigenousPeoplesDay, Indigenous people celebrate their roots, & exert their right to sovereignty! In New Jersey, we are on the stolen land of Lenni-Lenape and Nanticoke-Lenape nations. Listen to Cladia @NewLabor share her story⬇️ #IndigenousPeoplesDay2021 https://t.co/5b0EFQdqoa
— NJ Immigrant Justice (@NJAIJ) October 11, 2021
Others, including a pair of arts venues in Essex County, acknowledged the above sentiment in their own posts.
Vanguard acknowledges and pays respect to the fact that our theater sits on Lenape land. We celebrate Lenape culture and contributions past and present. Check out the link below for more on the Lenape Tribe and Montclair history.
#IndigenousPeoplesDay https://t.co/V1PEi6PWat pic.twitter.com/mYiV4ONMgq
— Vanguard Theater Company (@VTCNJ) October 11, 2021
Paper Mill Playhouse acknowledges that our theater stands on the traditional land of the Lenni-Lenape. We honor the land and the Indigenous people who inhabited it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived.
#IndigenousPeoplesDayhttps://t.co/t9AAuisQaD
— Paper Mill Playhouse (@Paper_Mill) October 11, 2021
ACTIVISM
On Monday and Tuesday, climate justice activists and clergy at Bnai Keshet in Montclair will join representatives of impacted Indigenous, Brown, Black, and low-income communities “living on the front-lines of the climate emergency” at the White House.
Together, the activists will demanded that President Biden end all fossil fuel projects, Bnai Keshet spokespeople said.
“We are invited to this action by an indigenous-led coalition of frontline communities from around the country working to stop the climate catastrophe,” Bnai Keshet Senior Rabbi Elliott Tepperman said. “They have come together to challenge the fossil fuel industry at the national level, recognizing that victory over any one project is not enough. To reach safety, we need to stop them all.”
As a follow up to the action in Washington D.C., Bnai Keshet climate activists are planning an interfaith Essex County action for November, which will happen in conjunction with their Climate Justice Shabbat on Nov. 20.
RAISING AWARENESS
The Livingston Public Library released a list of books that “serve as an introduction to a rich and diverse heritage of fiction, nonfiction, history, poetry, memoir and more by and about Indigenous peoples in the United States.”
Other Essex County residents and groups posted messages of solidarity on social media for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Seen online: