Wright College Presents Their Native American Land Acknowledgement

By: Alex Mora 

Since 1990, November has been recognized as National Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Every November, people of Native American descent celebrate their traditions, languages, and heritage, but also remember the tragedies their community has undergone for centuries. 

To acknowledge the atrocities committed and that American land was stolen, land acknowledgments have been presented all over the country.  Land acknowledgments are public statements that recognize the Native tribes that inhabited that area and their history. 

The land acknowledgment plaque is posted outside the president’s office. (Photo Credit: Luis Luciano)

Last Tuesday, Wright’s Student Government Association allotted their weekly Taco Tuesday event to a Native American Land Acknowledgement. The land acknowledgment recognized that Wright College occupies land that is ancestral to the Council of Three Fires (Ojibwe, Potawotami, and Odawa), Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk nations. The land acknowledgment was written by Dr. Sydney Hart and Professor Alicia Anzaldo of the Native American Land Acknowledgement Committee at Wright. 

Dr. Hart and Professor Anzaldo stand as the only current members of the committee, which came to be in 2022 when Anzaldo first thought of getting a land acknowledgment for Wright. 

Before bringing the idea up to the college, Anzaldo visited the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian because she “wanted their authorization and to hear from an American Indian organization that they supported this.” 

After gaining support from them, Anzaldo then went to the president of Wright at the time, Dr. David Potash, who also gave his support. Potash then “sent an invitation to the entire college, soliciting faculty and staff to be part of a committee that would write the statement,” said Anzaldo. 

When the committee was formed, it consisted of Wright faculty, staff, and students, one of whom was of Ho-Chunk descent. After drafting the land acknowledgment statement and getting student endorsement, Anzaldo was able to order plaques to make the statement tangible and visible throughout the campus.

Although the committee’s initial purpose was acquiring the land acknowledgment, Hart and Anzaldo mentioned their efforts for more Native American inclusivity initiatives at Wright.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints and “discouragement,” the committee has not been able to bring their ideas to life and has disbanded, expressed Dr. Hart.  The land acknowledgment plaques are posted outside the president’s office and near the North entrance, outside the Student Learning Resource Center.