HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-03-23 Public Comment - S. Allen - Ordinance 2109 and Columbus DayFrom:Sara Allen
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment Submission
Date:Tuesday, October 3, 2023 10:38:42 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Mayor and Commissioners:
I am writing this to you today to request that you repeal Ordinance 2109 that was passed on
June 28, 2022, and go back to recognizing and celebrating Columbus Day in the City of
Bozeman. As a white, Christian, part-Italian, straight, female resident of Bozeman, I recognize
that you continue to make decisions to further exclude and reject people like me, despite the
disproportionate time and money you spend taking measures to be "inclusive." You have
chosen to replace a holiday that celebrates the foundation of the reason why each of you are
able to sit at the table you're at this evening. Did you know that the first version of the Pledge
of Allegiance was written to mark the anniversary of the arrival of Columbus? Are you next
going to attack that and remove it from the beginning of your meetings? You've chosen to
create a false narrative to celebrate only 1% of the population of the city you preside over.
According to the 2020 Census, non-Hispanic whites represent 88% of the Bozeman
population. When are you going to start including us in the conversation? If nothing else,
please remove the language of "the City recognizes and celebrates the cultural survival and
resilience of the Indigenous Peoples in the face of genocide" from your proclamation. The true
history of Indian culture is rich with facts about their own self-genocide, cannibalism, and
pagan worship, and they did not even originate in the Americas, there was no America, and
had their own blood feuds over borderless territories. You were elected to represent the
people of this city, and we should all be thankful to call America home and celebrate its
founding.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sara Allen