Acknowledgments

I honor and uplift the indigenous people, past, present, and future of the Acjachemen, Chumash, Tataviam and Tongva Tribal Nations as the original stewards of this land where I live and work known now as Los Angeles, CA. I honor my own indigenous ancestry from the people and lands of the Gumares, Huachichil, and P’urhépecha nations, known now as the areas of Jalisco, Michoacán, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. 

While I am incredibly grateful to live in Los Angeles and work with people across the U.S., I grapple with the colonial past and present that I am a part of as a settler on this land. I recognize how colonization has impacted my own lineage and how it has shaped my experiences and understanding of the world. I am committed to being in right relationship with myself, others, and the land which requires awareness and unlearning of how colonization shows up in my thinking and relationships.

You can find additional land acknowledgment resources from the Meztli Project here.

“Acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture. It becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and informed action. But this beginning can be an opening to greater public consciousness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights, a step toward equitable relationship and reconciliation.” – Native Governance Center

You can find resources for moving beyond a land acknowledgment to creating an action plan from the Native Governance Center

Additional actions we can take to be in right relationship with Indigenous communities (this list is adapted from the Native Governance Center recommendations):

  • Learn about the original people of the land where you live and work using this map and find links to connect with and support your local Indigenous community

  • Contribute money and/or time to Native-led organizations in your area

  • Participate in Indigenous-led protests and calls to action

  • Pay into a voluntary land-tax program in your area

  • Support and promote Indigenous-owned businesses

  • Follow and promote Indigenous content creators on social media

Acknowledgments and beliefs that inform my perspective, approach, and relationships:

  • I acknowledge that systems of oppression and colonization have shaped our past and continue as a force in the present.

  • I acknowledge that I am living on the stolen land of the Tongva people and honor them as the rightful custodians of this land.

  • I acknowledge that racial capitalism has its roots in chattel slavery and the exploitation of Black people, the genocide of Indigenous people, and the extraction of the Earth’s resources for profit, control and power.

  • I acknowledge that white supremacy culture, cis-hetero patriarchy, racial capitalism, and ableism have been a part of shaping me and I am actively unlearning and healing from these systems so that I can embody new ways of being grounded in love, connection, and empathy.

  • I acknowledge that trauma is individual and collective, generational and historical.

  • I acknowledge my Mesoamerican ancestry, now present-day Michoacán, Jalisco, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico and the resilience of my ancestors.

  • I acknowledge that I hold multiple identities and experiences that are a part of oppressed groups as well as dominant groups.

  • I believe in and am committed to Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation.

  • I believe in and am committed to the liberation of queer and trans people.

  • I believe in and am committed to radical change to protect our Earth, all plant and animal species, and the climate.

  • I believe healing is individual and communal and that both must happen to create a new world.

  • I believe in unlearning, growing, taking accountability, playing, and connecting as regular practices that support our collective liberation.

  • I believe a new future is possible through healing, dreaming, and slowing down so we can move from a place of alignment and joy. Let’s create it together!

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