
WHEREAS, Sarah Winnemucca, a leader of the Paiute people, was born in 1844 in Western Nevada, where her grandfather, Chief Truckee was a leader of the Numa and her father was celebrated Paiute Chief Winnemucca; and
WHEREAS, Sarah Winnemucca learned to communicate in five languages including English, Spanish and three Native American dialects; Shoshone, Paiute and Washoe before she reached the age of 14, and she spent much of her life negotiating two conflicting cultures with the aim to promote understanding and improving life for Native Americans; and
WHEREAS, Sarah served as a translator for the Armed Forces of the United States, and addressed President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz about the plight of the Paiutes; and
WHEREAS, she performed more than 300 lectures across several states about the harshness of life for people confined to a reservation, founded a school and published a memoir, all before women in the United States had secured the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, Sarah Winnemucca died on October 16, 1891, and this date is an opportunity to recognize and remember the important contributions she made to all Native Americans, the State of Nevada and the United States;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, STEVE SISOLAK, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim October 16, 2021, as
SARAH WINNEMUCCA DAY IN NEVADA