A defiant West Covina mayor on Tuesday night, Feb. 21, refused to apologize for the cancelation of an Indigenous land acknowledgment and blessing at the city’s centennial celebration over the weekend, despite angry calls from a packed City Council chamber for contrition and accountability.
The meeting, which included close to three hours of public comment heavily critical of Mayor Rosario Diaz and Council member Tony Wu, culminated in the council’s approval of an investigation into how Jamie Nicole Rocha of the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation of Southern California was taken off the program.
Rocha was scheduled to give a blessing that recognized indigenous history and tribal relationships to the land West Covina was incorporated on 100 years ago. Such acknowledgments have become increasingly common in Southern California, and are standard practice for many organizations, including L.A. County, which formally adopted the protocol November of 2022.
But what began in West Covina as an effort toward such acknowledgement devolved into a bitter squabble with high emotion, marring the centennial event for some, and leaving many to lament that the city lost a great opportunity to include indigenous awareness at the very beginning of the centennial celebration.
When Rocha was invited by West Covina Mayor Pro Tem Brian Tabatabai to lead the land acknowledgement and blessing, she said she felt honored to do so.
“I was so happy to do this not only an indigenous person but as a lifelong resident of West Covina,” Rocha said. “It’s so cool that I could see myself reflected in the space. And in a celebratory space because, in my perspective this is celebrating West Covina history and what’s not more West Covina history than some indigenous knowledge?”
Following approval from city manager’s office, Rocha arrived early that Saturday to set up a booth to share her culture and history with her neighbors. As her 6:30 p.m. slot neared, she began standard preparation…
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