By Sierra Pawlak

TAA’s DEI Committee (CDEI) Chair Laura Frost read a Land and Labor Acknowledgement at the opening session of its 2024 Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in Nashville, TN on June 21.

“As a member of both TAA’s Board and CDEI, I believe that incorporating land and labor acknowledgments into our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts is a critical step in recognizing the contributions and rights of marginalized groups,” said TAA DEI Committee Member Nicole Dillard. “Land acknowledgments honor the indigenous communities who have historically cared for the land, acknowledging their enduring connection and the injustices they have faced. This practice fosters cultural sensitivity and awareness among our members, promoting a more respectful and inclusive organizational culture. Similarly, labor acknowledgments are equally important as they recognize the diverse contributions of labor, particularly those from underrepresented groups. By addressing past and present inequities, we ensure that every individual’s labor is valued and respected. These acknowledgments also reinforce TAA’s broader commitments to championing labor rights (copyrights, royalties, contracts, etc) and producing content and materials that promote knowledge sharing and accessible educational resources. Ultimately, these practices reflect our dedication to addressing systemic inequalities and fostering an organization where diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of our mission.”

The text of the Land and Labor Acknowledgement:

In line with the GeoPrimer, we believe that it is important to understand the longstanding history of the places where we convene as an organization. It is in this context and in the spirit of inclusion and supporting indigenous knowledge and contribution, that we will include land acknowledgements at each TAA conference moving forward.  

‘Tanasi’ was an original Cherokee village, which became the namesake for the state of Tennessee. And while we know that there are no federal or state recognized Tribes in Tennessee, we acknowledge that events like the Indian Removal Act of 1830  and the 1838 Trail of Tears led to First Nations being forcibly removed from their ancestral Homelands. 

This land acknowledgment recognizes that we are currently convening on the ancestral lands of 

the Cherokee, Shawnee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek peoples. Furthermore, as TAA increases its work to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and honor the dignity and legacy of Indigenous peoples who were the original stewards of the land, as well as their descendants who currently reside in Nashville and throughout the state of Tennessee. 

Similarly, as we reflect on our current efforts to support and protect the labor of some of our authors whose publications are currently being banned, infringed upon and unjustly legislated across the country, we must also remember to acknowledge the labor and sacrifice of those who were trafficked from the their homelands in Africa into US enslavement. 

Despite the brutality and horror of chattel slavery, the labor of enslaved Africans significantly contributed to the rich culture and economic wealth that we experience in the US today.  

In offering both of these land and labor acknowledgements, we acknowledge that the legacies of our treatment of Indigenous and African peoples endures today, contributing to significant generational trauma, thus re-confirming the imperativeness of TAA’s commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization.

Dillard answered additional questions about the essential elements to include, the steps the committee took in creating theirs, and advice on where to find the historical information for your acknowledgements:

What elements are essential to thoughtful and intentional land and labor acknowledgements?

Dillard: “I think that it is important to recognize that while these statements are essential, they are only first steps and will always in a sense be incomplete because greater action is ultimately needed to honor the complexity of the history and current context surrounding the need for the statements in the first place. But, it is essential to tell the story with these communities at the center, honoring their contribution and documenting the inequities. These statements are about these communities, and in the case of the land acknowledgements – sovereign nations, and their contributions to our country and the effort we must make to honor those contributions. So, in many ways the acknowledgements at their finest should tell a story of these groups and the history of their actions, while fostering actions of our own to honor these legacies. This is why situating these acknowledgments within our GeoPrimer session makes sense, because you are really trying to tell a story about the place, the people and the legacy of the land that we are on.”

What steps did you take in the process of writing TAA’s first land and labor acknowledgements?

Dillard: “I utilized many of the sources that I recommended previously. I also leaned on justice-oriented non-profit organizations like Solid Ground and the Native Governance Center. Native Land Digital has an interactive map that is helpful to identify tribal lands. But, when using digital types of resources, they shouldn’t be the only source as they often don’t have consistent and definitive boundaries listed. For labor acknowledgements, I find that universities tend to have pretty comprehensive resources, so I reviewed some of those.”

 In thinking about getting started, what are some first steps towards finding the historical information needed for land and labor acknowledgment statements?

Dillard: “For land acknowledgements, a good place to start is always with the local tribal communities within the specific place you are writing about. They tend to have the most accurate information in terms of treaties, violations, and current existing tribes still on the land. If a state has federally-recognized tribes, then the official state site can also be a good resource. As you know, for this year’s TAA conference we were in Tennessee, which does not have any federally recognized tribes, so contacting local cultural organizations was vital in identifying historical information. Regarding labor acknowledgments, I find these to be a bit trickier in that there aren’t as many ‘on the spot’ resources available and require a bit more digging. But, reaching out to cultural and educational organizations like the Smithsonian, whose National Museum of African American History and Culture, Asian Pacific American Center and National Museum of the American Latino provide resources for understanding the critical role that groups like enslaved Africans, and Asian, Mexican and Latino immigrants played in building this nation.”

Nicole Dillard, Ed.D., is an academic author and Assistant Professor of Human Resource Development (HRD) at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Her primary research agenda explores the work and organizational experiences of individuals with marginalized and stigmatized social identities. At the center of her agenda is research regarding mothers in the workplace, Black women leaders and employee wellbeing. She currently serves on TAA’s Board and CDEI.