Our New Land Acknowledgment, Upcoming BIPOC Voices Events, and an Update on MIIS Online
Dear Colleagues,
After a two-year engagement process, the Middlebury Institute has formally adopted this Land Acknowledgment, which will be used at all formal events:
We pause to acknowledge that the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) sits in the Village of Achasta on the ancestral and unceded land of the Ohlone (Costanoan) Rumsen/Rumsien people, a Rumsen-speaking group. Several contemporary tribes, including Esselen, call this land home today. The surrounding Monterey Bay region includes lands traditionally inhabited by the Esselen (to the south), Chalon (to the south), Mutsun (to the north), and Salinan (to the east) groups. We honor these groups’ experiences in the past, present, and future, as we work collaboratively with them to protect the land and its inhabitants. Let us take a moment of silence to honor these Indigenous communities, past and present. We give thanks for the opportunity to respectfully share in the bounty of this place and are working collaboratively to protect it. We are all one in the sacred web of life that connects people, animals, plants, air, water, and earth.
A Land Acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.
This land acknowledgment represents one act in an ongoing, long-term process of cultivating meaningful relationships with local Indigenous communities through partnerships, educational programming, events, and additional initiatives. We seek to raise awareness about these Indigenous communities’ ongoing efforts for cultural sharing, education, and social change, as well as historical and present-day injustices they have faced with resilience. We also strive to preserve, create, and transmit knowledge so that those who benefit from the dispossession of these peoples may commit to reckoning with history and the contemporary legacies of imperialism and settler colonialism. This acknowledgment has been created in consultation with Indigenous groups and is a living document.
Learn more on our website about how this landacknowledgment can be used, how the statement was developed, and about the history of the land on which MIIS sits.
This process was initiated by students in the Advocacy in Action class and the Student Council DEI committee. I would like to offer a special thank you to Professor Netta Avineriwho has been stewarding this process of partnership and communal learning, as well as the many faculty, staff, and students who have contributed to different phases throughout. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Ohlone Sisters, who have closely collaborated with us, generously sharing their meaningful knowledge and wisdom.
BIPOC Voices Speaker Series
Intercultural communication is at the heart of our mission to advance peace. To that end, I would encourage all of you to attend one of the upcoming events in our BIPOC Voices Speaker Series. Dr. Nick Creary, Institutional Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Officer,has lined up some top-notch speakers.
Thursday, October 5 – 12:30 p.m. – Latino/a, Latinx, Latine, or Other? Gender-Inclusive Language and Ethnic Identity with Dr. Bryan Betancur
Thursday, October 12 – 12:30 p.m. The Time is Now for Original Peoples of this Hemisphere: Speaking from the Heart – A lecture celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day with Dr. Inés Hernández-Ávila
Wednesday, November 1 – 4 p.m. Giving Thanks to Whom? For What?: What to an Indigenous Person is Thanksgiving? with Dr. Daisy Purdy
Update on MIIS Online
Late last week, after a thorough negotiation, Middlebury signed a comprehensive Master Service Agreement (MSA) with an Online Program Management (OPM) company. My thanks to the many colleagues who have worked so hard to get us to this important milestone. This MSA will support the expansion of our roster of online degree programs – and with it, expand access to a high-quality MIIS education to more, and more diverse, learners. As we transition from contract negotiation to execution, watch this space for many more details in the coming weeks.
Have a wonderful week.
JDJ