Alderperson Vered Meltzer’s Invocation At 11/02/2022 Common Council Meeting – “Now is the time for remembering the dead and also for remembering our ancestors. Now is the time for telling their stories.”

Mayor Woodford: Tonight’s invocation will be delivered by Alder Meltzer.

Alderperson Vered Meltzer (District 2): I’m going to start tonight with a land acknowledgement. Appleton occupies ancestral lands of the Menominee tribe. For 10,000 years the Menominee ancestral lands spanned Wisconsin and included parts of Michigan and Illinois. Well, today the Menominee tribe’s territory is little more than 350 square miles. In 1954, Congress passed the Menominee termination act, removing federal recognition of the tribe in order to undermine their cultural identity. A long and difficult grassroots movement finally saw the passage of the Menominee Restoration Act in 1973. We are responsible for stewardship of this land today. And it’s also our responsibility to learn about the history, culture and resiliency of the Menominee people. We need to take it upon ourselves to learn about the Menominee tribe’s needs and challenges today, and how we can support them.

Today marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month. Today is also Dia de Muertos, a Mexican holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years, which was blended with All Saints Day in the 16th century, when Spanish invaders introduced Christianity. Once a year, the dead are celebrated, and their presence is felt and their memories are cherished. It’s interesting to note the parallel with Halloween, which was a Celtic celebration for thousands of years before it was officially co-opted in the eighth century, when Pope Gregory the Third designated November First as All Saints Day.

Now is the time for remembering the dead and also for remembering our ancestors. Now is the time for telling their stories. What were the dreams and aspirations of those who were here before us? What were the dreams and aspirations of those whose legacy we inherited? And what were the dreams and aspirations of our own grandparents and great grandparents? To honor the past, we need to make sure that the future we build remains connected to its roots. And to honor the past, we need to heal each other in the present. To honor the dead. We need to build a future in which everyone can live well. Thank you.