The first Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center on October 13th, 2014. The celebration planned for 300 people and over double attended. 
Totem poles on the University of Washington’s Indigenous Walking Tour 
Millie Kennedy, JD, Tsimshian, Tribal Liaison and Center Manager at the UW School of Medicine Center of Indigenous Health — Millie was instrumental in the grassroots effort led by Urban Indians, Tribal Nations, and allies to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Seattle in October of 2014.
On October 6, 2014, the Seattle City Council made history as the second major city in the United States that year to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The resolution grew out of a grassroots effort led by Urban Indians, Tribal Nations, and allies who sought greater recognition of Indigenous people and their histories. For Millie Kennedy, JD, Tsimshian, Tribal Liaison and Center Manager at the UW School of Medicine Center of Indigenous Health, the movement was about more than replacing one holiday with another — it was about visibility and honoring the original inhabitants of the Land that is now the United States of America and sharing the power of and activation of education. Inspired by the work that began in St. Paul, Minnesota, the first city to pass a resolution replacing Columbus Day, Seattle’s organizers including Kennedy worked to bring the voices of Indigenous communities into the conversation. They also enlisted Councilmember Kshama Sawant that sponsored the resolution. Seattle was a significant site of assimilation for Native people, and its large urban Indian population represented many tribes from across the country and Canada. “Indigenous People’s Day is important because we need to put ourselves on the map and was created to bring attention to who we are and that we still exist. We are the original inhabitants of this country and that is what it means to me,” Kennedy shared. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an opportunity to engage intentionally with the history of the First Peoples who inhabited and cultivated the land Americans call home today while their communities’ contributions have been erased.
For Kennedy, Indigenous Peoples’ Day also creates an opportunity to invite people into deeper learning and understanding about Indigenous history and the organizers added to the Resolution, House Bill 1495, which requires mandatory Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum in the Seattle School District to teach the history, culture and traditions of Indigenous people in the region. In 2015, the late Senator John McCoy, Tulalip Tribes, sponsored Senate Bill 5433 making the sovereignty curriculum mandatory throughout Washington State. “Indigenous People’s Day is about opening the door wide open and creating curiosity,” she said. That curiosity is particularly important because many people remain unfamiliar with Indigenous history and contemporary Native communities. Replacing Columbus Day is, in part, an opportunity to reconsider the familiar narrative of discovery. “Columbus did not discover us. We were already here and are still here,” Kennedy emphasized. The day asks people to look beyond stereotypes and consider the history that shaped the present, including the fragmentation of Indigenous communities and the circumstances that continue to affect Native people today economically, in education, and healthcare.
The organizing effort itself was not without uncertainty. Organizers were unsure whether the resolution would ultimately pass back when they began the effort in August of 2014, and there was no funding available for a celebration at Daybreak Star. Yet the community began planning an event before they even knew whether the resolution had officially passed where fortuitous circumstances helped Kennedy gather support from Tribal Leaders across Washington while participating in a Chief Seattle Club Gala. With grassroots’ support from the tribes and allies, the decision to continue planning a celebration despite the outcome reflected the importance of cultivating joy alongside advocacy and resistance. “We don’t agree on everything,” Kennedy recalled, but the focus remained on whether the resolution would pass and how the community could celebrate if it did. The response ultimately exceeded expectations: organizers planned for approximately 300 people, but around 750 attended at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. “The community was very proud of the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day and emotional,” she remembered even recalling not eating anything the whole day because the food ran out while she was busy co-hosting and coordinating. The celebration became an expression of visibility, resilience, and collective joy — a reminder that organizing is not only about confronting injustice, but also about creating opportunities for community to come together.
Reflecting on strategies to engage in justice movements today, Kennedy encourages young activists to recognize that meaningful change requires both vision and persistence. Her advice is grounded in the practical realities of organizing: “Learn how to do the grunt work. Learn how to do permitting, sound, safety & security, and reserve the venue.” These behind-the-scenes tasks may not always receive recognition, but they are essential to turning an idea into a lasting movement. Kennedy’s experience also demonstrates the power of relationships and community networks. Seattle’s Indigenous community included people connected through shared histories and experiences, even when they came from different tribal nations and areas of the state which was also integral in demonstrating solidarity to advocate for the recognition. “We all know each other because of history and the genocide of us that makes us so few,” she shared. Building relationships, understanding community history, and doing the practical work of organizing can create the foundation for sustainable change.
Today, Indigenous Peoples’ Day continues to create space for education, advocacy, and recognition, while contemporary justice movements continue to call attention to issues affecting Indigenous communities. Kennedy sees progress in the growing number of people engaging with the day and its meaning: “There are a lot of people doing stuff for Indigenous Peoples’ Day now and there is progress.” At its heart, however, the message remains one of presence and persistence. “We still exist, we are still here,” shared Kennedy. For allies, recognizing the day means going beyond a single day and extends to ongoing learning about Indigenous history, challenging stereotypes, centering and listening to Native communities, and supporting the advocacy already taking place. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an invitation to learn, but also to recognize that Indigenous people are not simply part of history, they are central to it. They are here, they are advocating for their communities, and they continue to shape the future.
Learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the Office of Healthcare Equity website.
Read the full Resolution here from the Seattle Human Rights Commission.
