On Land Acknowledgments, Ignoring the Words in Said Acknowledgments, and "Good" White Folx

At least once a month, I have a white person reach out to me about the land and enslavement acknowledgments that I use in my work as a facilitator and trainer. Every message has damn near this exact wording and cadence every time:

"I really liked the land acknowledgment and enslavement and labor acknowledgment that you used in today's training. Can I have a copy of them? I want to use them in my presentations."

Just so you know, white people, this is not flattering. I am not flattered. You reaching out like this doesn't make me or any Black person, Native person, or person of color who has put in the time and learning and tapped into the generational trauma fostered by this unceded land we reside on, feel good. What you are sending out to us is legitimately a request for free labor that does not prompt you as a white person to do your own work and explorations, as well as an honest assessment of if you should even be using land acknowledgments and enslavement acknowledgments in the first place. It's performative and harmful. And frankly, I get tired of having to Dikembe Mutumbo white folx who reach out to me thinking it's OK to ask a Black person to gift them some trauma-based labor.

Yesterday, I received my once-monthly query about using my work. I slept on it. Then this morning, I decided it was time. Past time, to be honest.

It was time to write what will be my auto-response for these emails from now on. Hey - work smart, not hard, y'know? If you know what to expect from people, you should plan accordingly, y'feel me?

So here is my new response to these queries about repurposing my acknowledgments:

"The land acknowledgment and enslavement and labor acknowledgment I use in my work have been written and re-written by me for years now. They are personal acknowledgments written from a place of generational trauma and lifelong learning. I have worked very hard on constantly updating and evolving these acknowledgments. The only way to acknowledge the weight and trauma of the near-genocide of Native and Indigenous peoples and the continued oppression and murder of Black people is to write these acknowledgments as tools of self-atonement and reflection. I wrote my acknowledgments because they are products of my heart and soul and not repurposed words. I say all of this to frame why I do not share these acknowledgments for others to use for their purposes. I cannot in good conscience share my acknowledgments with you. There are two reasons why. The first is that your ask feels centered around utilizing my labor as a Black person for the benefit of a white institution. I cannot and will not cater to that ask. The second is that any land acknowledgment or enslavement acknowledgment any person or institution uses should be written by them and come from their own beliefs, thoughts, community outreach, and learning.

If you would like to create your own land acknowledgment and labor and enslavement acknowledgment for your presentations, there are many learning tools available to begin understanding the how and why of these acknowledgments. Google "land acknowledgments" and "labor acknowledgments" for learning materials; you'll find such tools as the resources on https://native-land.ca/.

I also recommend asking yourself and your team/company why you are interested in using land acknowledgments and labor and enslavement acknowledgments in your work: what is the significance of your using them? Do they reflect, and will they reflect your lifelong learning? How willing are you to continue evolving your acknowledgments as you evolve?

Lastly, I recommend speaking with Native elders and Black leaders in the community and equitably compensating them for their time and energy in helping you understand if writing enslavement and land acknowledgments for your work are coming from authentic and empathetic places or if they are performative in nature.

I hope that diving into whether or not you can or should write and use land and enslavement acknowledgments opens up an area of learning and growth for you."

Do the work, white people. Like actually do the work. We are way past performative gestures and "good" white people perpetrating and utilizing white supremacist actions under the facade of decency. Do your work or own that you prefer using the tools of white supremacy to have others do it for you while you take credit.