Robbinsdale board reads inaugural land acknowledgement; displays flags of 11 Minnesota tribal nations

Robbinsdale Area Schools read an inaugural land acknowledgement at the start of its Aug. 18 board meeting and unveiled flags representing 11 federally recognized Minnesota tribal nations in the boardroom.

Board members said the statement will be read at the start of future school board meetings and at district events. The board also invited local tribal community members and the district’s American Indian Parent Advisory Council to the reading and posed for a group photo after the ceremony.

The board’s printed acknowledgement reads in part: “We acknowledge Robbinsdale Area Schools is located on the homelands of the Dakota and Ojibwe people. We recognize the painful history of genocide and forced assimilation of the indigenous inhabitants of this land. We honor and respect the many indigenous peoples who live on and hold sacred these lands, and we stand with members of these nations to fight injustice in all of its forms.” (excerpt, reading not attributed to a single speaker in the meeting record)

Chair Rita Evans Becker thanked speakers and community members who helped arrange the flags and the ceremonial honor song performed before the reading. Board members described the display and reading as a step toward acknowledging the district’s Indigenous history and supporting tribal sovereignty.

The board did not take a formal vote on the acknowledgement itself at the meeting; members said the reading will become a routine opening at future meetings and events.

Looking ahead, the district said it will include the land acknowledgement at the start of school board meetings and at other district events where appropriate.