The Plymouth School Committee this week unanimously passed a resolution acknowledging that the Wampanoag were the first people to live here.
The resolution, known as a land acknowledgement, will be read before every School Committee meeting going forward.
In other areas of town government, however, a move to adopt a similar resolution has been controversial. The Committee of Precinct Chairs, which is affiliated with Town Meeting, decided in June that it did not have the authority to pass such a resolution and referred the question to the Select Board, which has heard public comments on the subject but has yet to put a land acknowledgement resolution on its agenda.
The School Committee resolution, approved Tuesday, is brief and to the point.
“We recognize that we are meeting on the unceded ancestral homeland of Indigenous People whose enduring presence we humbly recognize,” it begins. ‘We honor the Wopanaak People as the original stewards and the Herring Pond Wopanaak as the surviving tribe indigenous to these lands.”
It goes on to acknowledge historical injustices to native people and includes a vow “to educate ourselves, our community, and our students on the First Peoples and the hardships they endured.”
School committee member Vedna Lacombe-Heywood praised a statement accompanying the resolution that urges a sustained commitment to indigenous rights and equity.
“It’s one thing to do these acknowledgments, but it’s another thing to continue to sustain the relationships that we have with indigenous people, our communities that live here,” said Lacombe-Heywood.
Melissa Ferretti, chair of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, cheered the resolution.
“Over my tenure, the staff and leadership at Plymouth Public Schools have consistently shown their support for the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe.” Ferretti wrote in an email to the School Committee. “At [Plymouth Public Schools], it’s clear the focus on relationship building has been fundamental in creating a supportive and collaborative environment. For us Wampanoag people, relationship building, and trust are paramount, as they form the foundation of our community and culture. This latest achievement is proof of that enduring relationship and shared dedication.”
Phoebe Flynn, who as secretary of the Plymouth Public Schools Diversity Committee has been pushing for the land acknowledgement, also was pleased.
“It was just a breath of fresh air,” Flynn said.
In another role she holds – chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion of the League of Women Voters of the Plymouth Area – Flynn has been struggling to persuade the town to adopt a similar resolution.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org