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IPRTF steering committee debates land‑acknowledgment wording, seeks tie to action on Indigenous disparities
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Summary
Steering committee members discussed revising the land-acknowledgment text used at meetings to emphasize Coast Salish peoples and to attach specific actions and disparity notes; a small drafting group volunteered to produce recommended language for the full task force.
Members of the Incarceration Prevention Reduction Task Force (IPRTF) Steering Committee debated whether the group’s land‑acknowledgment should be shorter, rotated among readers and — crucially — linked to concrete actions addressing racial and tribal disparities in the criminal justice system.
The discussion began when staff had difficulty sharing the draft language and Mariam offered to read a land‑acknowledgment that names ‘‘the traditional and unceded territory of the Lummi, Nooksack, Samish, and Semiahmoo people.’’ Several members said the wording is important but risks becoming rote if not tied to the committee’s work.
‘‘If land acknowledgment is helping us do that, I think that’s great. If it’s not, then we question what we’re doing with land acknowledgment,’’ said Ying. Peter urged the committee to pair the statement with regular attention to the substantive issues behind the words, pointing to an ‘‘over representation of Lummi and native people in our jail’’ as a topic that should be on the committee’s agenda.
Brian offered draft wording aimed at making the link explicit: ‘‘We recognize that the criminal justice system has historically caused and continues to cause disproportionate harm to indigenous communities. We commit to honoring the sovereignty of the Coast Salish people, to learning from their knowledge and leadership, and to building relationships rooted in respect, accountability, and justice.’’
Several members recommended rotating who reads the acknowledgment and periodically attaching a short report or ‘‘disparity note’’ to agenda items so decisions include consideration of disparate impacts. Bertie and others supported Brian’s language and asked that the committee periodically report on actions tied to the acknowledgment.
No formal motion was made during the meeting. The chair asked for volunteers to form a small drafting group; Rosa, Dan, Ying, Maya and Brian volunteered to work with staff to refine wording and an implementation approach and to bring a recommendation back to the steering committee for vetting before the full IPRTF sees it.
The steering committee directed staff to prepare for that next step; the drafting group is expected to present a proposed statement and suggested accountability measures at a future meeting.
