The following is a statement from Brianna Brown, Co-Executive Director of the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), on the organization’s observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year:
“With immeasurable resilience in the face of centuries of violence and broken promises, Tribal Nations have fought to preserve their sovereign rights while also making countless contributions to shape and strengthen the United States.
“As we recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we must acknowledge years of atrocities at the hands of white supremacy, while committing to one another to build a new future of promise where liberation for all Indigenous communities is fully realized.
“TOP organizes and builds solidarity across communities of color to dismantle the systemic racism that for far too has held back Black, Latino, and Indigenous Americans. The disparities that still exist for Indigenous people in areas such healthcare access, public education, affordable housing, and economic opportunity are a direct result of the destructive legacy of colonization.
“Our work as organizers is to tear down this genocidal legacy, build people-driven power from the ground up, and enact bold transformative societal change that allows all people to thrive. THIS is racial and economic justice in action, and it guides our work, day in and day out.”
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Texas Organizing Project organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris, Bexar, and Fort Bend counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve. For more information, visit organizetexas.org.
This statement was sent out October 10, 2022.