In May 2023, Goucher College announced a Land Acknowledgement Statement, created by Special Collections & Archives staff, that was composed in dialogue with and in response to the words and perspectives of tribal members who have a kinship with this land. We appreciate the wisdom, time, and history shared by tribal elders members who were consulted, including Chief Mark Tayac (Piscataway Indian Nation), Rico Newman (Choptico Band of Indians, Piscataway Conoy Tribe), Jess McPherson (Susquehanna/Shawnee), Mario Harley (Piscataway Conoy Tribe), and Ayanna Proctor (Piscataway Conoy Tribe/Susquehannock).
The project took over a year to write due to its sensitive nature and the intentionality of each word. The authors worked with a newly created Multi-Institutional Working Group to reduce the stress and time demands on Indigenous members who were consulted. With the guidance of Ryan Koons, an MSAC folklorist with a background in Indigenous Studies, this consortium of academic and cultural institutions included Towson University, Mount St. Mary’s College, Frederick Community College, Carroll Community College, the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Walters Art Museum, Strathmore, and Roundhouse Theatre. The Multi-Institutional Working Group met monthly to discuss the issues, concerns, the process of crafting a land acknowledgement, and current and future actionable items.
The authors felt that the process was also a significant part of the story and wrote a paper describing the experience. This fall semester, a new exhibit highlighting the process of writing a land acknowledgment statement opened outside Special Collections for the academic year.
The exhibit is one of the ways the College is moving beyond the words and making a difference. Goucher is committed to actionable measures that support and benefit local Indigenous peoples:
- Making institutional resources available to tribes (i.e. the library)
- Living responsibly on the land (environmental sustainability)
- Repatriating Indigenous artifacts (in the process of being completed)
- Creating a library guide on Indigenous history and culture
- Creating exhibits focusing on the stories of the land and its Indigenous inhabitants
- Adding new titles by Indigenous authors to library collections
- Working with Indigenous groups and individuals for collaborative opportunities
