Land Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Lenape People on which we learn, work, and gather today at Columbia University. Lenape means real person, or original person, and it is important to remember that Lenape, collectively, are a living and breathing community. Let us honor their legacy. Let us commit ourselves to the struggle against the forces that have dispossessed the Lenape and other Indigenous people of their lands. We stand strong in our commitment to support and defend all marginalized people of this land who have been stripped of their rights to self-determination.
Columbia University
In the creation of this project, we recognize that the history of the land and its people is vast and deep and does not begin with the settler colonialism we are still pushing against today. We acknowledge that I-95, from Maine to Florida, to everywhere the Interstate Highway stretches, is land that belongs to Indigenous peoples and their ancestors. We recognize the layers of history, violence, and knowledge that we exist upon today. We acknowledge the displacement, dispossession, and disruption that continues to churn on this soil, with wealth, buildings, and transport built on stolen land by stolen people, in pursuit of profit and power.
We acknowledge this statement is only a step, not the solution, to reconciling relationships to the land, water, and air and the Indigenous peoples who have and continue to steward these forces across generations. We acknowledge our responsibility to live softly and harmoniously with the Earth and its people. Whether we travel by bike, bus, train, or car, every time we look out a window is a reminder of our responsibility to work towards sovereignty and self-determination of all marginalized people.
Thank You
Though this exhibit is live now, it has been many years in the making. Many thanks to my professors and peers at OHMA who have lent their time for feedback and iteration. Thank you to my family for always being available to talk about our history, present, and plans for the future. Thank you for keeping me tethered when I feel myself drifting into silence and isolation. Thank you to my chosen family, my sisters, my mentors, and my A-Team, who give me space to change and grow, and make it a point to celebrate my wins as our own, you know who you are 🙂 Many thanks to those I am lucky to call my support system who have kept, and continue to keep me well. A major thank you to my ancestors for guiding me on my path. Thank you for teaching me to listen.
To my grandfather who is with me everywhere I go, everything I do is in your memory and honor.
