Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future:  The Quest for Justice

Monday, March 10, 6:30 pm

Syracuse Stage, 820 E Genesee St, Syracuse

Come commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic filing of the Onondaga Land Rights Action. Onondaga leaders and educators Jeanne Shenandoah (Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan), Onondaga elder and Traditional Medicine Keeper and Haiwhagai’i Jake Edwards (Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan) will share important history and reflect on progress made. Onondaga Nation General Counsel Joe Heath will review the legal history, including the case currently before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Despite the fact that the US courts rejected the Onondaga Nation’s call for justice and healing, important progress has been made, including the recent return of 1,000 acres of land in the Tully Valley. The treaties upon which the Onondaga Land Right Action is based remain in effect and all people have a responsibility to uphold them.

On March 11, 2005, the Onondaga petitioned the federal court in Syracuse to declare that New York violated Treaties, the Constitution, and federal laws when it took some 4,000 square miles of Onondaga Land (an area that stretches south past Binghamton and north past Watertown). The State of New York, the City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, and five corporations for illegal land takings and damage were sued by Onondaga Nation for inflicting harm on the environment. Learn more here: https://www.onondaganation.org/land-rights/

Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible and CART will be available for program accessibility. Following the program there will be a reception with light refreshments. There will be tables from different organizations for getting involved.

The program is organized by the American Indian Law Alliance, the Indigenous Values Initiative, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, and Syracuse Peace Council.

For more information contact.

American Indian Law Alliance

aila@aila.ngo

www.aila.ngo

Act Now to Support Indigenous Schools

New York State has consistently underfunded the three schools

serving Indigenous students on their own nations for decades

As part of the historic treaty relationship between the Haudenosaunee and the United States, the US is responsible for providing healthcare and education to Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, these treaties have been repeatedly ignored and broken. This history includes the appalling boarding school era, where the motto, “Kill the Indian, save the man” was carried out across the continent. Indigenous communities survived through resilience and determination. Almost every public school building in New York New York State is owned by the School District in that community, except for three schools on Indigenous Nations – the Onondaga Nation School (Lafayette School District), the Tuscarora Nation School (Niagara Wheatfield School District) and the St. Regis Mohawk School (Salmon River School District).

NYS is responsible for maintaining the buildings which house these three schools. They have been terribly underfunded for decades – leaving them with major facilities problems – crumbling brick walls, poorly functioning heating and cooling systems, dangerously degraded concrete, inadequate security and fire protection and much more. The superintendents of those districts describe them as among “the worst building conditions in NYS.”

New York’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, approved in January 2018, emphasizes fostering equity in education for all students and ensuring that all students succeed and thrive in school no matter who they are, where they live, where they go to school, or where they come from. It specifically mentions historically disadvantaged students.

Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is joining with others across NYS in calling for Governor Cathy Hochul to include $60 million in the 2022-23 NYS Budget, $20 million for each of these three schools, plus $6 million ($2 million per school) on an annual basis for maintenance and improvements moving forward. We ask people to contact Governor Hochul during December to urge her to include this funding in her Executive budget proposal when she submits it to the legislature in January.

Take Action Online Now

Customize this sample letter to send to Governor Hochul.

Contact Information

Governor Kathy Hochul
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Phone 518-474-8390

TOOLS For Organizing

• Informational Handout – Background Information on one side and a sample letter to Governor Hochul on the back
• Postcard to Print – Two sided document to create 4 postcards to be sent to Governor Hochul (print two sided)
• Slideshow on Funding Inequity – This slideshow was created by the Superintendents of the three Indigenous Schools and includes detailed information about the problems
• Letter to Governor Hochul from the 3 Superintendents
• Article from Onondaga Nation website about the three superintendents advocating for increased funding