The City of Dayton proclaimed yesterday as Indigenous Peoples Day.
Dayton Mayor Jeff Mims issued the proclamation during a celebration at Sinclair Community College. The celebration brought in speakers and performers from around the Miami Valley, including Guy Jones. He co-founded the Miami Valley Council for Native Americans in 1989.
"Mayor Mims, I appreciate this immensely because It's been a long time advocating for Native people to get recognized in this community," Jones said.
Jones said around fifteen hundred Native Americans live in Montgomery County per the latest census.
The Dayton Metro Library sponsored the event and will host two more events for Native American Heritage Month in November: Medicine Women: The Heart of Our Communities Panel Discussion on November 5 and Native American REACH Fest on November 19.
The second Monday of each October has historically been recognized as Columbus Day.
Chris Welter is a reporter and corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
