fbpx

News

WisDems Statement On The 2023 State Of The Tribes Address

Mar 14, 2023

WisDems Statement On The 2023 State Of The Tribes Address

MADISON, Wis. — Following the 2023 State of the Tribes address, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler issued the following statement:

“Wisconsin was honored today to hear from the Chairman of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Robert VanZile. Delivering the 19th State of the Tribes address, Chairman VanZile continued nearly two decades of invaluable dialogue between our state and Wisconsin’s 11 federally-recognized tribes.

“Wisconsin’s sovereign tribes are critical partners for our state and federal government, and an integral part of the Wisconsin community. Wisconsin has much to do to live up to its end of this partnership. I’m grateful to Governor Evers and President Biden for their efforts to join with tribal nations to combat the violence perpetrated against Indigenous women, to honor tribal sovereignty and treaty rights, and to protect our land, air, and water.

“Our history is scarred by the centuries of injustice inflicted upon tribal nations by the U.S. government—of promises broken, land appropriated, children taken from their families and sent to boarding schools, and so many more. Today, we must recommit to a new spirit of collaboration, repair, and celebration of all that brings us together as we seek to build a state in which every enrolled tribal member, and every Wisconsinite, can thrive.”

###