Professor George Godfrey told the Springfield Committee of the Whole on Sept. 30 that the Potawatomi people passed through the area that is now Springfield during the forced removals of 1838 and urged the city to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day.

“I am Potawatomi from Oklahoma,” Godfrey said, and described historical passages of the Potawatomi — including a September 29, 1838 passage through Springfield in which he said more than 800 people, 300 horses and baggage wagons moved along a three‑mile trail; he said two Potawatomi children died while the group passed what is now the city’s east water treatment plant.

Godfrey delivered the remarks after a committee chairwoman invited him to speak, noting his academic background and connections to the Potawatomi nation. His remarks included historical context about the Potawatomi removal from Indiana in 1838 and how the county name “Sangamon” is rooted in a Potawatomi word meaning “lots to eat.” Godfrey closed by saying, “We are part of your history, and we want to be continued to be remembered as a part of your history.”

An alderman raised a point of order before the presentation asking whether invitations of this nature belong at the start of the committee meeting or should be allocated to the public‑comment portion of the agenda. Corporation counsel and the chairwoman responded that the council’s rules do not restrict the chair’s discretion to invite speakers and that Robert’s Rules of Order give substantial latitude to the chair. The committee recessed briefly while members sought guidance and then resumed with the presentation after counsel confirmed the chair’s discretion.

An alderman who had helped sponsor a local ordinance recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day also spoke in support of the presentation and said the timing was appropriate because the state has recently observed Indigenous Peoples' Day. The chairwoman noted she had invited Godfrey in part because of work last year sponsoring an ordinance recognizing the holiday in Springfield.

The presentation was purely informational; no vote or formal action on a city proclamation or ordinance occurred in the meeting minutes during Godfrey’s appearance.