Roosevelt's Theatre Department acknowledges we are all guests on this land of Mother Earth. We recognize the role of white colonialism, occupation, and oppression of many people in our country; we will not be bystanders. We declare that we will give this space and voice to our most vulnerable to be true to oneself freely, honoring their history and stories. In so doing, we also acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, Clatskanie, Atfalati, and Clackamas people who have stewarded this land for generations, and currently home to many diverse First Nation peoples.

Honor Native Land

Source: USDAC.com

IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, AND AMONG TRIBAL NATIONS IN THE U.S., it is commonplace, even policy, to open events and gatherings by acknowledging the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of that land. While some individuals and cultural and educational institutions in the United States have adopted this custom, the vast majority have not. Together, we can spark a movement to change that.

We call on all individuals and organizations to open public events and gatherings with acknowledgment of the traditional Native inhabitants of the land.

Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth. Imagine this practice widely adopted: imagine cultural venues, classrooms, conference settings, places of worship, sports stadiums, and town halls, acknowledging traditional lands. Millions would be exposed—many for the first time—to the names of the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of the lands they are on, inspiring them to ongoing awareness and action. 

Honor Native Land

"For more than five hundred years, Native communities across the Americas have demonstrated resilience and resistance in the face of violent efforts to separate them from their land, culture, and each other. They remain at the forefront of movements to protect Mother Earth and the life it sustains. Today, corporate greed and federal policy push agendas to extract wealth from the earth, degrading sacred land in blatant disregard of treaty rights. Acknowledgment is a critical public intervention, a necessary step toward honoring Native communities and enacting the much larger project of decolonization and reconciliation. Join us in adopting, calling for, and spreading this practice."

Source: USDAC.com