Longmont Sister Cities Association celebrates new relationship

Longmont Sister Cities Association, or LSCA, held their first in-person board meeting since the pandemic, on Thursday. The return not only brought a sense of normalcy but news of finally celebrating Longmont’s third sister city.  

Spirits were high as LSCA board members were joined by members of Longmont’s City Council and other folks from the community. The big announcement of the evening was a first-of-its-kind relationship with the Northern Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation. 

“It’s really wonderful to see the Sister Cities organization in person again and I’m very happy that negotiations with the Northern Arapaho Tribe are almost completed,” said Longmont City Councilmember Marcia Martin. “It’s going to be an exciting couple months as we welcome the delegation to the city officially.”

LSCA and the city of Longmont will host the Northern Arapaho delegation for an official signing of the Sister Cities agreement on September 18 at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center. The LSCA Board and Longmont City Council will welcome the Northern Arapaho delegation, joined by dignitaries from nearby cities. 

One key part of the signing ceremony will be a land acknowledgement from the LSCA and Longmont Museum, recognizing that Boulder County sits upon the unceded territory of the Arapaho, Ute and Cheyenne nations.

“We lead by example, so it is important that we’re incorporating this land acknowledgement. It’s important that our policies and practices match this, that our actions will show that we’re sincere,” said Longmont City Councilmember Susan Hidalgo-Fahring. 

Sister Cities International was created by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to improve international relationships after World War 2. Longmont established its first Sister City Association with Chino, Japan in 1991. The LSCA was formed in 1995 to take on the responsibilities of managing the relationship and coordinating activities and student exchanges. In 1998, the LSCA forged a second relationship with Ciudad Guzman, Mexico based on the similarities between the two cities.

In the time since LSCA was formed, annual trilateral exchanges with Chino and Ciudad Guzman have become a tradition. Students from Longmont visit the sister cities in Japan and Mexico, and then students from Chino and Ciudad Guzman visit Longmont on the return trip. 

“The kids from Mexico and Japan get to interact with each other and experience their culture, along with what we have here in Longmont,” said LSCA Vice President Courtney Michelle.

Due to the COVID pandemic, exchanges with Japan and Mexico haven’t been able to happen. Michelle was hopeful that they would resume student trips in 2022, but LSCA is following guidelines from the U.S. State Department. The LSCA is hopeful that the first exchange with the Northern Arapaho can happen in summer of 2022 as well. 

During the board meeting, Rebhan and Michelle discussed visiting the Wind River Reservation and the hardships the Northern Arapaho have faced. According to Rebhan the reservation is home to 10,000 Northern Arapaho and 8,000 Shoshone on the 2.2 million acre reservation, the only one of its kind in Wyoming. The reservation has faced 70% unemployment, and has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic in particular without access to vaccinations or even running water. The Northern Arapaho have lost 44 of their tribal elders to COVID, which brings with it a loss of culture. More than 50% of the Northern Arapaho are under the age of 21 and don’t speak the Arapaho language.

The relationship with the Northern Arapaho Tribe is the first time in the history of Sister Cities International that a city has reached an agreement directly with a sovereign nation, according to LSCA Board President Janice Rebhan. Rebhan spoke solemnly about the historic treatment of Native Americans in the United States and Colorado, acknowledging the distrust that many First Nations tribes may feel toward fostering new relationships with the U.S.

“It’s important to be aware of the historical issues when we consider these new relationships,” Rebhan said. “We’re going to let the Northern Arapaho guide the direction this relationship takes. It’s all about incremental change, one relationship at a time.”

The signing ceremony on September 18 will be open to the public. According to Michelle, more details will be available after the LSCA board meeting in August.

“We hope everyone in Longmont will come to this historic event,” Michelle said.