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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Council Worksession <br />September 12, 2023 <br />5:00 pm <br /> <br /> <br />Present: Mayor Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas <br />Councilmember Abdullahi Abdulle <br />Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Pam Axberg <br />Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br />Absent: <br /> <br />Staff in Attendance: Devin Massopust, Hue Schlieu <br /> <br />Guests in Attendance: Mary Margerat Reagan, Kisten Thompson, Liliana Triviski <br /> <br />Land Acknowledgement Presentation <br /> <br />Massopust stated DEI Coordinator, Hue Schlieu, will present about land acknowledgments and offer a preview <br />to the statement that Council will be asked to consider at the 9/26/2023 Council meeting. The land <br />acknowledgment statement was drafted in partnership with the Equity Strategic Action Team and was <br />presented to Equity Commission on Aug 17, 2023. The statement recognizes the Dakota people, acknowledges <br />their history and losses, and outlines the City’s commitment to do more. <br /> <br />Schlieu provided the Council with a presentation on land acknowledgements. She explained the purpose of this <br />presentation was to provide context and a deeper understanding on the City’s proposed land acknowledgement <br />statement. She provided a brief overview on the impacts of colonization and discussed the history of <br />indigenous people in New Brighton. She explained a land acknowledgement is a message at the beginning of a <br />gathering that acknowledges the people whose ancestral homeland we are on. She reported Dr. Sam Torres <br />stated it is an effort to ensure the connection between indigenous people and their land are not erased or <br />forgotten. She shared a video with the Council that addressed the importance of land acknowledgement. She <br />reviewed the City’s proposed land acknowledgement statement and asked for comments or questions from the <br />City Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Abdulle thanked DEI Coordinator Schlieu for sharing the video with the Council. He <br />explained he was not native to the United States, but was a native to Africa. He stated he believed land <br />acknowledgements were powerful and was the least the City could do to bring light to the good and bad. In <br />addition, he believed this would start a road towards healing by acknowledging what has happened. He <br />reported he works for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He further discussed the special tribal <br />training he receives on an annual basis and commented on how this has helped him better understand the rich <br />history of the Native Americans and the land that we sit on. He hoped by practicing the land acknowledgement <br />the City would be more mindful of this history. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen explained he grew up in Oklahoma and learned from a young age about the Trail of <br />Tears and the genocide that was committed against people. He reported his wife was part Native American and <br />her grandmother was a full tribal member, along with her aunts and uncles. He believed the land