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Muscatine mayor proclaims National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous Peoples’ Day; local coalition accepts proclamations
Summary
Mayor Brad Bark issued proclamations recognizing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous Peoples’ Day; Justice, co‑creator of the Indigenous Coalition of Muscatine, accepted the proclamations and urged community education and reconciliation.
Mayor Brad Bark proclaimed September 2025 as Orange Shirt Day (National Day of Truth and Reconciliation) and designated Oct. 13, 2025, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the city of Muscatine.
The proclamations, read during the Sept. 18 Muscatine City Council meeting, acknowledge the legacy of Indian boarding schools and call for honoring Indigenous histories and contributions to the state and city.
Justice, co‑creator of the Indigenous Coalition of Muscatine, accepted the proclamations on behalf of the coalition. Justice identified herself as “a Mi'kmaq woman and a generational survivor of the residential schools” and urged the city to use the observances for education and healing. “Accepting the Indigenous Day proclamation is a reminder of the enduring spirit and contributions of Indigenous people,” she said. She asked the city and residents to confront historical truths and “commit ourselves to ongoing work of reconciliation.”
The Orange Shirt Day proclamation, the council document states, recognizes Phyllis Webstad’s role in starting the movement that remembers children subjected to assimilationist practices at Indian boarding schools. The proclamation text references abuses at boarding schools, lost lives, and the need to acknowledge generational trauma.
Mayor Bark presented both proclamations at the meeting; Justice noted that the residential school system in the United States and Canada operated from the 1800s into the 1990s and said “many children did not survive and were found in mass unmarked graves.”
The council did not take a formal vote on the proclamations; they were read and accepted during the ceremonial portion of the meeting. The Indigenous Coalition of Muscatine will use the proclamations as a platform for outreach and community events related to education and healing.
The council meeting packet lists the proclamations as agenda items; the city will observe the designated dates in 2025.
Ending: The proclamations provide formal recognition by the city; Justice and the coalition encouraged ongoing educational programming and community partnerships to accompany the observances.
