Indigenous People Want Name Change of Historic Neighborhood

Indigenous people want name change of historic neighborhood, Sat. Sept. 12, 2020. | Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

Indigenous people want name change of historic neighborhood featured Sarah Torres on guitar. | Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

Indigenous people want name change in historic neighborhood was supported by Moratorium NOW! Coalition members. | Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

Indigenous people want name change in historic neighborhood featured artist Haddasah GreenSky. | Photo: Abayomi Azikikwe

Indigenous people want name change in historic neighborhood as traditional drummers play. | Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

Indigenous people want name change in historic neighborhood as participants walked through the area on Sept. 12, 2020. | Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe

By Detroit Fighting Words Staff

A rally, march and cultural event was held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 on the eastside of Detroit in the residential district known as “Indian Village.” A Native American resident of the neighborhood hosted the event which attracted many Indigenous youth, among others. [Read the original letter to the neighborhood association calling for the name change.]

Various organizations spoke in support of changing the name which has no relevance to Native people historically. Waawiiyaatanong Resurgence, Moratorium NOW! Coalition and Detroit Will Breathe were three of the organizations which delivered solidarity statements.

Sarah Wunderlich of the family of Jonathon Tubby of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin spoke to the crowd over the phone on the police killing of this Native youth by the Green Bay authorities in 2018. [ . [Learn more about the case at #SayHisName #JusticeForJonathonTubby #IndigenousLivesMatter ]

Cultural presentations including music and dance were provided. Hadassah Greensky and Sarah Torres performed for the audience gathered on the lawn and sidewalk.

Later activists marched through the neighborhood to engage homeowners about the proposed non-offensive name change.