As in the past, the Olympia Food Co-op acknowledges that for some Co-op members, Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate the harvest of the season with friends and family, while for others, Thanksgiving marks a long, often hidden history of broken treaties, forced assimilation and genocide.
Acknowledging these realities, the Olympia Food Co-op would like to call attention to land and treaty rights of First Nations people. Members are invited join with the Duwamish Nation––First People of the Seattle area––in their struggle for federal recognition. Information about Duwamish history and culture, treaty rights, and current fundraising needs can be found in the pamphlet “We Are Still Here,” near the pencils and clipboards at the front of the stores, at www.duwamishtribe.org, or by visiting the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center at 4705 W Marginal Way SW Seattle.
Donations will be taken at the registers. Tribal Chairwoman Cecile Hansen says, “If everyone in Seattle gave us $1, we could pay for our legal defense.” Well, let’s see what a couple thousand Co-op members in a little city south of town can do!
Donations for the Duwamish Legal Defense Fund will be collected through April 2011.
