‘Built on Genocide’: LPS Holds Land Acknowledgement, Says School Land Should be Returned
by John Gage
Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) began an annual event last week by holding a land acknowledgement that stated America was founded on genocide and LPS was benefiting from the “subjugation of black, indigenous people of color.” The acknowledgement was part of an annual African American Read In the district holds during Black History Month.
LaFaya Helmstadter, an employee of LPS, led the acknowledgement along with two students. “A land acknowledgement is an understatement of the damage done to indigenous people,” the statement said. “This country was built on genocide of indigenous people of Americas and the enslavement of African Americans.”
Helmstadter said that the country and the district are still benefiting “from the exploitation of the land as well as indigenous peoples and continue to benefit from the subjugation of black indigenous people of color.”
She followed up the “acknowledgement of colonial genocide” by stating that LPS should give back the land “ceded” from Native Americans or at least pay for it. “With that being said. The land on which we stand should be returned to the indigenous people or they should be fairly compensated for their loss of language, culture, religion, and autonomy,” she said.
After the land acknowledgment, Helmstadter led the gathering in a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is known as the “Black National Anthem.” The event did not include a singing of the U.S. National Anthem.
LPS has held the African American Read In each February over the past thirteen years to celebrate Black History Month. Video records show that LPS held land acknowledgements starting during the 2023 read in.
Dr. John Skretta, the superintendent of LPS, confirmed in a statement to The Plains Sentinel that he attended the event.
"Yes, I attended the African American Read-In on Tuesday, February 10, 2026,” Skretta said. “This is an annual partnership event between the City of Lincoln Libraries and Lincoln Public Schools that has taken place for 13 years celebrating African American history, culture, and contributions.”
Skretta defended LPS’s use of a land acknowledgement “The land acknowledgement reading during the event is one example of a comprehensive land acknowledgement used by several entities at public events and which recognize the tribes, history, current presence and potential future action restorative of relationships between communities,” he said.
The Plains Sentinel also asked Skretta about whether he agreed with Helmstadter’s statement about LPS needing to give back or pay for the land the district owns, and he did not give a response. All the LPS board members have been reached out to for comment, but have not returned a comment in time for publication.
Speakers Take on Trump, DEI, and ICE
The program included various speakers reading children’s books, reciting poetry, and giving prepared speeches. At one point, a group of LPS students led a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging recitation that went through the “ABCs” of black history, describing various historical moments in Nebraska and across the nation.
Near the end of the program, local influencer and food reviewer Keenan Serrano performed a rap that included a veiled jab at President Trump. “Neglect and discrimination built a nation / to justify the end of getting killed, and they move on / What can I expect? I cannot even look up to my president.”
Rafa Ahmed, a senior at Lincoln North Star, used her speech at the event to critique the country’s adherence to the U.S. Constitution. “I have read the Constitution,” she stated. “And I have some thoughts..
“Somewhere I read about the Freedom of Assembly, yet for years people have been injured and even killed for doing so. In an ABC7 article, we read that just four months ago in LA, during the ‘No Kings’ demonstrations, protesters were hit with rubber bullets simply for using that right. Somewhere I read about the Freedom of Press, yet our news is more censored than ever before.”
Ahmed praised Martin Luther King Jr.’s “audacity to challenge the Constitution, and as King did 60 years ago, I still demand we ground ourselves with the rules written to create our nation.”
Ahmed also took aim at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which she said was opposed to Nebraska’s motto of “The Good Life.” “An ICE detention center is being built three hours and thirty-eight minutes from where you are sitting right now,” she said. “Those who contribute to our central diversity are ripped apart from their families, threatened for merely pursuing the opportunity that my family dreamed of when they immigrated here 16 years ago.”
LPS Advocate Team Under Fire
Helmstadter is an African American student advocate who is a part of LPS’s Youth Development Team that includes two “Latinx/a/o/Hispanic” student advocates, two advocates for the African American community, three Native American student advocates, one homeless student advocate, a systems transition student advocate, and a supervisor.
LPS came under fire from public officials last week after listing a job posting for an LGBTQ+ Advocate Specialist. The posting stated the position is to give “cultural support” to families, students, and staff while working with each to promote “an understanding of student perspectives” and “integrating school and family goals for the greatest academic success of the student.”
Governor Jim Pillen called the position “woke garbage” and said he had crafted a budget that “will give Nebraska the tools necessary to rip woke and DEI indoctrination out of our schools.
LPS was also criticized by Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who called the posting by LPS “disappointing.”
“LPS has a really serious chronic absenteeism problem--which impacts kids, families, and our community in a material way,” Hilgers stated. “I’ve heard from teachers who are concerned about the lack of resources devoted to helping solve the problem. This is just taking their eye off the ball.”
— John Gage is the Executive Director of The Plains Sentinel.
