2024 DNC Opens With Land Acknowledgment of ‘Forcibly Removed’ Tribal Nation

The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday with an introduction reminding delegates how the convention is being held on land that was “forcibly removed” from Indigenous tribes.

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribal Council Vice-Chairman Zach Pahmahmie and Tribal Council Secretary Lorrie Melchior took to the stage at the start of the convention where they welcomed the Democratic Party to their “ancestral homelands.”

“Here we are, together on our ancestral homelands of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and our sister Potawatomi nations. We also honor the spirit of the other tribal nations who traveled westward to this beautiful area. Welcome 2024 Democratic National Convention to our homelands. This land has and always will carry enormous importance to its original stewards, our ancestors and our present-day communities,” Pahmahmie said.

He continued, “From time immemorial, our ancestors lived in the Great Lakes region. However, in 1849, an illegal auction by the U.S. government forcibly removed our tribe from our homeland. Since then, we have been working to reclaim it.”

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The Democratic Party previously released its 2024 platform that similarly acknowledged Chicago being built on tribal land.

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