Elk Grove City Council to adopt land acknowledgement statement

Based on a recommendation by the city’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Elk Grove City Council will adopt a land acknowledgment statement for reading before every city council meeting. This action will be approved during the Wednesday, September 27 city council meeting.

A growing trend nationally, land acknowledgment statements are typically read at the start of meetings. In the Sacramento region, statements are read by the city councils in Sacramento, West Sacramento, Woodland, and government bodies, including the Los Rios Community College District.

The statement the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has recommended is:

We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elk Grove’s first inhabitants, the Plains Miwok, who lived as sovereign caretakers of this land and these waterways since time immemorial. We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Wilton Rancheria Tribe — the only Federally recognized Tribe in Sacramento County — who endure because of the bravery, resiliency, and determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders.

Additionally, the committee recommended a land acknowledgment page be established on the city’s website linked to the Wilton Rancheria. Wednesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m.