We are learning, growing, and committed to moving beyond the land acknowledgement.
Reflection
We understand the importance of amplifying the voices, histories, knowledge, and lived experiences of communities that have been on the frontlines of multiple devastating crises. In the spirit of the Summit’s theme of fostering “courageous conversations and radical collaborations,” Second Nature and the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) are thinking critically about how to move beyond the land acknowledgment and exploring ways to authentically support Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous communities, frontline communities, and their leadership through the climate crisis.
Through independent reflection, group dialogue, and priority action setting, we have responded with actions to actualize our values and commitment. The following reflect our shared commitment to this work (selected from 2018 to present):
- Complimentary Host Institution registration for Tribal Colleges and HBCUs at the annual Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit
- Complimentary NGO Partner registration for Indigenous-led organizations at the annual Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit
- Sliding scale dues for Tribal Colleges and HBCUs
- Equal employment opportunity practices to hire underrepresented people, and efforts fostering learning, cultural competence, and inclusivity in our work environments
- Developing roles commissioned with a focus on DEIAJ related initiatives
- Kaede Kawauchi, Former DEIJ Working Group Manager, Director of Strategic Initiatives 2018 – 2021 (IEN)
- Chantal Madray, Climate Programs Manager: Resilience and Justice/DEIAJ 2021 (Second Nature)
- Chaz Briscoe, Climate Justice Fellow 2021 (Second Nature)
- Hanako Boulangeat, Program Director – Sustainable Investing, Climate Justice & DEI 2022 (IEN)
- Paris Prince, Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 2022 (IEN)
- Hiring DEI consultants to help inform and drive progress (both IEN and Second Nature)
- Diversity Statement (Second Nature)
- Launch of DEIJ Working Group (IEN)
- Developed DEIJ Internal Policy (IEN)
- Launched Racial Equity Investing Webinar Series (IEN)
- Racial Equity Blog Series (IEN)
- SOLVE Dialogue Series (Second Nature)
- Commitment to DEIJ web page (IEN)
- Investing in Racial Equity Resource page (IEN)
- Launch of Climate Justice page (Second Nature)
- Launch of Climate Justice Working Group (Second Nature)
- Research and publications including Racial Equity Investing and Leading with Justice: Net Zero Investing and Conversations on Climate Justice (IEN)
- 2022 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit Registration & Honorarium Policy: With our virtual events in 2021 and 2022, we have formalized a need-based sliding-scale policy for speaker registration. If speakers are able to pay the registration fee, that is much appreciated to make this work possible, and we hope each speaker will register for the full program and participate. We have set the lowest registration fees we feel are feasible to produce the Summit, and we are also conscious of the current and past challenges and inequities that may make these fees a barrier to full participation. It is our hope that guidance on registration and honorarium can provide more transparency around speaker compensation and encourage a diversity of speakers – particularly historically underrepresented, critical perspectives – to speak at the Summit, which is of benefit to all.
These initiatives are ongoing and are supported by numerous collaborators, partnerships, and sponsored funding. We are working together to advance, and more deeply embed, principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice into all that we do.
Resources
Below are the resources we’re consulting in this journey. We provide them here both for transparency and knowledge sharing.
What’s missing? Please email us at [email protected].
- Native Land Digital: Territory Acknowledgement Native Land Digital is an indigenous-led not-for-profit organization. Use this resource to identify the land on which you are on.
- Native Governance Center: A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgement The Native Governance Center co-hosted an Indigenous land acknowledgment event with the Lower Phalen Creek Project on Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2019 and created this guide based on panelists’ responses.
- Sierra Club: What Are Land Acknowledgements, and Why Do We Do Them? In this article, The Sierra Club’s Director of Organizational Transformation, Hop Hopkins, sits down with Angela Mooney D’Arcy (Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation) to discuss land acknowledgments and how to go beyond acknowledgment to truly honor Indigenous environmental leadership.
- Palomar College and California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center: Land Acknowledgement – You’re on California Indian Land, Now What? Acknowledging The purpose of this Toolkit is to encourage all academic staff, students, and administrators to acknowledge the original nations on whose land we live, learn, and work.
- Guide to Indigenous Land and Territorial Acknowledgements for Cultural Institutions. A guide for cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, and universities to “recognize and respect Indigenous homelands, inherent sovereignty, and survivance.”
- Native Governance Center: Beyond land acknowledgement An article series focused on strategies for moving beyond land acknowledgment.
- Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, University of Minnesota: Beyond the Land Acknowledgement: College “LAND BACK” or Free Tuition for Native Students This policy brief explores the concept of “land back” in higher education. Megan Red Shirt-Shaw is a 2022 Summit Keynote Speaker!
- Native Governance Center: Self assessment A tool to help you analyze and assess whether any of your behaviors might be impacting indigenous communities, in an attempt to prevent future harm.
- Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous Principles of Just Transition In this paper, The Indigenous Environmental Network provides an introduction to the concept of just transition, discusses the legacy of social, environmental, and economic injustices indigenous communities have faced, and outlines their principles of just transition, which fall under the following categories: responsibility and relationship, sovereignty, and transformation for action.
- Resource Generation: Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit A brief guide for Resource Generation members, and others, with access to land to support in education and resource sharing around land reparations.
- Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous Resistance Against Carbon This report highlights the tangible impact that Indigenous campaigns of resistance have had in the fight against fossil fuel expansion across what is currently called Canada and the United States of America.
- Duke University Press: Beyond Land Acknowledgement in Settler Institutions In this article, the authors describe the differences between Indigenous protocols of mutual recognition and settler practices of land acknowledgment. The article concludes with “beyond” as a potential decolonial framework for land acknowledgment that recognizes Indigenous futures.
- Decolonizing Wealth Project Founded by Edgar Villanueva, the DWP is a team of experienced philanthropy, public, private and creative industry professionals dedicated to executing DWP’s mission and vision.
- Land Grab U / Land-Grab Universities These High Country News resources uncover the history of the 1862 Morrill Act. This law sought to expand higher education wherein 52 universities received land grants expropriated from tribal nations into seed money for higher education. In all, the Act redistributed nearly 11 million acres from approximately 250 tribal nations in over 160 violence-backed treaties and land seizures. Their data shows how the Morrill Act turned Indigenous land into college endowments.
Questions? Please email us at [email protected].