Contact: Brian Rothgery, 414-278-4230
or brian.rothgery@milwaukeecountywi.gov
MILWAUKEE – County Supervisor John Weishan, Jr., applauded the successful effort by fellow Supervisor Felesia Martin to rename Columbus Park “Indigenous People’s Park” in a statement released today.
“Renaming Columbus Park to Indigenous People’s Park is the right thing to do because it helps right an historic wrong – the erasure of Indigenous peoples and their cultures from Wisconsin. Establishing Indigenous People’s Park aligns with previous County Board actions to recognize Indigenous People’s Day and is part of an ongoing effort to live up to our ideals and principles. Although we have much work to do, Milwaukee County can be proud that we have entered a new chapter in our history where we take action to honor the people and cultures who are native to this land,” said Weishan.
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted Supervisor Martin’s resolution renaming Columbus Park as Indigenous People’s Park on July 26.
Supervisor Martin’s resolution notes that “the history of the settling of the United States of America…frequently ignores the displacement and suffering of Indigenous peoples.”
The resolution also explains that “Milwaukee County is home to several Indigenous groups, including the Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Ho-Chunk,” and that Indigenous People’s Park “is located on land ceded to the U.S. in the Potawatomi Treaty of 1833.”
Supervisor John F. Weishan, Jr., represents the 16th District on the Board of Supervisors and authored a 2016 resolution recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day.
