Rochester LGBTQ+ Together wants to acknowledge that we exist and gather for programs and events on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Onöndowa’ga, or “the people of the Great Hill.” In English, they are known as Seneca people, “the keeper of the western door.” Together, with the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Tuscarora, the Seneca make up the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy. We pay our respects to their elders past and present.
On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we want to reaffirm that we value, honor and respect the cultures, history, and invaluable contributions of indigenous Americans, the original occupants of the land on which we currently live and work. We also want to recognize and encourage you to take time to thoughtfully consider the horrors and generational harms of white supremacy – genocide, colonialism, displacement, forced assimilation, racism, and more.
Today and every day, we celebrate the resilience of indigenous Americans and recognize the sovereignty of Tribal Nations.
