School of Education at UW Tacoma Land Acknowledgment
The School of Education community here at UW Tacoma acknowledges that we learn, live, reflect, and teach on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. As our campus is specifically situated on the traditional homeland of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, we will make intentional efforts to create inclusive and respectful partnerships that honor Indigenous cultures, histories, identities, and sociopolitical realities.
We in the School of Education also have a moral responsibility to fully acknowledge our Indigenous connections, as well as critically reflect on the histories of dispossession and forced removal that has allowed for the growth and survival of this institution.
Let us continue to advocate for and partner with our Indigenous neighbors as we continue our lifelong work together as a dynamic and inclusive community of educators, leaders, and learners.
This land acknowledgment is now widely used at public events hosted by the School of Education at UW Tacoma. We welcome any person or any organization who/that would like to use this land acknowledgment to do so. We ask that it be used to continue advocating for and partnering with Indigenous communities and neighbors. We also respectfully ask that anyone/any organization who/that uses this land acknowledgment link the credit back to this page.
This land acknowledgment was a collaborative project that started in 2017. Dean Rachel Endo offers special thanks to several individuals for making this acknowledgment a key part of the School of Education's culture. Special thanks to Gerald White (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) for inspiring the original framework for this land acknowledgment. Special thanks to Tanya Powers (mixed heritage St. Lawrence Island/Siberian Yupik and Irish) at Highline College for providing additional input on this land acknowledgment since 2018. Special thanks to UW Tacoma American Indian Studies faculty Danica Sterud Miller (Puyallup Tribe of Indians) and Michelle Montgomery (Haliwa Saponi/Eastern Band Cherokee) for providing feedback on this land acknowledgment in 2018-2019. Special thanks to UW Tacoma Director of EdD Robin Starr "Zape-tah-hol-ah" Minthorn (Kiowa/Apache/Nez Perce/Umatilla/Assiniboine) for providing additional feedback on the use of this land acknowledgment in 2019.
Indigenous Partnerships
Learn more about some of our key Indigenous initiatives and partnerships (page to be updated):
