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Record of Proceedings

Fargo Native American Commission Meeting - March 7, 2024

City Commission — Thursday, March 7, 2024
BodyFargo, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission
DateThursday, March 7, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Thank you for joining us today.

0:01

I call the March 7th, 2024 meeting of the Native American Commission to order.

0:07

We'll go ahead and begin with the introduction of current commission members and we'll start over here.

0:13

Good morning.

0:14

Suzanne Zenski, Ho Chunk, Choctaw, Cherokee, Pawnee, and Ka.

0:19

Ashley Littlewolf, uh, Boysport Band of Ojibwe.

0:23

Dale Sayers, Blackfeet and Ojibwa.

0:27

And I think we have Emily on the phone.

0:33

Yep, Emily Sergeant Oyters Nation.

0:37

Okay, thank you.

0:38

And I do believe we've got um enough members for a quorum today.

0:42

So the next item on the agenda is to approve the agenda in the January 4th minutes.

0:49

Can I get a motion to approve the agenda in minutes?

0:53

Motion to approve.

0:55

And a second.

0:57

I second.

0:58

I'll second.

1:00

Thank you.

1:01

All those in favor say aye.

1:02

Aye.

1:03

Aye.

1:03

Opposed same sign.

1:07

Okay, motion carried.

1:09

Do we have anybody signed up for public comment today?

1:17

No.

1:17

Okay.

1:20

Moving on.

1:21

I I don't know if we have anybody here from Indigenous Association.

1:25

So this is Emily.

1:30

I have an update on the Indigenous Association that I can give.

1:32

Oh, perfect.

1:33

Thank you, Emily.

1:36

Yeah, so this is just an update coming from Brandon, Beatty.

1:40

So the Indigenous Association has I don't if it's okay to give it right now.

1:46

Does that sound all right?

1:47

Or should we wait?

1:50

Yep, you can go ahead and give the update.

1:54

Yeah, so Indigenous Association has right now we have regular open craft nights on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m.

2:01

Um and so really what we're wanting is just for people to bring a project you're working on.

2:06

Um and we have sewing space machines and different areas to be able to work on your cultural craft.

2:14

However, this week is canceled due to staff attending the Indigenous Farming Conference.

2:19

Um but it'll be on for next week, and then they will have a seed exchange and some presentations about composting and gardening April 6th from 5 to 8 p.m.

2:29

at night.

2:30

Um they'll also have a two-day workshop on how to start a business led by Mr.

2:36

Sky Inc.

2:37

on the 6th and the 7th of April from 8 a.m.

2:40

to 4 p.m.

2:40

So an all-day event.

2:42

And then the details for all this will be posted on the Facebook page soon so people in the community can gather more information about that.

2:52

Okay, thank you, Emily.

2:55

Next item on the agenda are subcommittee reports.

2:59

Um we'll start with education and cultural awareness.

3:04

Is there any updates?

3:06

So one position was filled, uh, but they do have two more positions that will be coming available.

3:12

So thank you for everybody that applied.

3:14

And please look out for the next announcement from the school board.

3:17

So it's good to see that the staff is growing.

3:21

And that's for Fargo.

3:22

Yeah, Fargo West Fargo.

3:24

Fargo West Fargo.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Native American Affairs█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Homelessness███████████████████████23%
Affordable Housing███████████████████████23%
Procedural█████████████13%
Summary of Proceedings

Fargo Native American Commission Meeting - March 7, 2024

The Fargo Native American Commission met on March 7, 2024, at 12:00 PM in the Commission Chambers. Members present included Suzanne Zenski, Ashley Littlewolf, Dale Sayers, and Emily Sergeant (by phone). The meeting focused on community updates, subcommittee reports, and upcoming events.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda and January 4, 2024 minutes were approved by unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Indigenous Association Report

  • Emily Sergeant provided an update from the Indigenous Association. Regular open craft nights continue on Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., though the meeting date was canceled due to staff attending the Indigenous Farming Conference. Upcoming events include a seed exchange and composting/gardening presentations on April 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and a two-day business startup workshop led by Mr. Sky Inc. on April 6-7 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Details will be posted on the Facebook page.

Subcommittee Reports

  • Education and Cultural Awareness: One position was filled; two more positions will become available. Members are encouraged to watch for announcements from the Fargo West Fargo School Board.
  • Health and Wellness: No updates reported.
  • Housing: The subcommittee highlighted the recent community conversation on ending homelessness held two weeks prior. A member served on a panel at the Fargo Theater and emphasized the need to address Indigenous homelessness due to overrepresentation. Momentum on housing equity continues.

Staff Reports

  • Nicole Crutchfield reported that coordination on the Savannah's Day resolution is ongoing, with an email sent to board members seeking volunteer availability. Dialogue continues with Ruth Ann Buffalo on suggested language. A recap from Mr. James Matthew’s visit, including his synthesis of community discussions, is expected soon. Additionally, a Fair Housing and Evictions event will be held on April 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fargo Theater, featuring panel discussions on eviction costs, causes, and consequences. The event is free and open to all.

Discussion Items

  • Native Artifacts Discovery: Commissioner Suzanne Zenski raised a topic about native artifacts found near Valley City. She received an email asking what to do with such items and proposed inviting a community expert to speak on proper handling. The commission agreed to follow up and consider the topic at the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Agenda and minutes approved unanimously.
  • Upcoming events were publicized: craft nights, seed exchange, business workshop, and fair housing event.
  • Staff will continue coordinating on the Savannah's Day resolution and the James Matthew visit recap.
  • The artifact discussion will be revisited at the next meeting.
  • The meeting adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for May 2, 2024.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you for joining us today. I call the March 7th, 2024 meeting of the Native American Commission to order. We'll go ahead and begin with the introduction of current commission members and we'll start over here. Good morning. Suzanne Zenski, Ho Chunk, Choctaw, Cherokee, Pawnee, and Ka. Ashley Littlewolf, uh, Boysport Band of Ojibwe. Dale Sayers, Blackfeet and Ojibwa. And I think we have Emily on the phone. Yep, Emily Sergeant Oyters Nation. Okay, thank you. And I do believe we've got um enough members for a quorum today. So the next item on the agenda is to approve the agenda in the January 4th minutes. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda in minutes? Motion to approve. And a second. I second. I'll second. Thank you. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed same sign. Okay, motion carried. Do we have anybody signed up for public comment today? No. Okay. Moving on. I I don't know if we have anybody here from Indigenous Association. So this is Emily. I have an update on the Indigenous Association that I can give. Oh, perfect. Thank you, Emily. Yeah, so this is just an update coming from Brandon, Beatty. So the Indigenous Association has I don't if it's okay to give it right now. Does that sound all right? Or should we wait? Yep, you can go ahead and give the update. Yeah, so Indigenous Association has right now we have regular open craft nights on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Um and so really what we're wanting is just for people to bring a project you're working on. Um and we have sewing space machines and different areas to be able to work on your cultural craft. However, this week is canceled due to staff attending the Indigenous Farming Conference. Um but it'll be on for next week, and then they will have a seed exchange and some presentations about composting and gardening April 6th from 5 to 8 p.m. at night. Um they'll also have a two-day workshop on how to start a business led by Mr. Sky Inc. on the 6th and the 7th of April from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. So an all-day event. And then the details for all this will be posted on the Facebook page soon so people in the community can gather more information about that. Okay, thank you, Emily.

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