Both the Northern Arapaho Tribe and members of Longmont’s American Legion will show the U.S. flag’s colors and say the Pledge of Allegiance at a Sept. 18 ceremony marking the signing of a Sister City relationship between the city and the tribe.
Janice Rebhan, president of the Longmont Sister Cities Association, said she met with American Legion officials Friday and said the Legion will present the colors and recite the Pledge as will the Arapaho ‒ in the Arapaho language.
“The goal is to have a partnership and we want the ceremony to equally respect our unique cultures,” Rebhan said.
Legion members said earlier this week that they were asked by the association not to recite the Pledge as it might offend someone at the ceremony.
Rebhan told the Leader earlier this week that many Arapaho served the United States honorably and praised the flag in their own ceremonies.
The Sept. 18 ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday, at the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road. The signing will mark the first sister city relationship between a sovereign tribal nation and a U.S. city, said Rebhan.
