Press Release
On February 16, 2021, the Fairhaven Sustainability Committee shared a Fairhaven Land Acknowledgement statement during their meeting. It was read by member Deirdre Healy, who wrote and shared it with the committee.
“The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee acknowledges Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land, and the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories. The land on which we sit is the traditional unceded territory of the Wampanoag Nation. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced occupation of their territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected to this land on which we gather from time immemorial.”
This land acknowledgement will be part of opening all future meetings of the Fairhaven Sustainability Committee and we hope that other committees will follow our lead. Our committee feels it is imperative to recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond.
We recognize the land as an expression of gratitude and appreciation. It is important for each of us to understand the long-standing history that has brought us to reside on the land and to seek to understand our place within that history. By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm tribal sovereignty and will work on different ways that we can educate our community, hold ourselves accountable to the First Nations and their people, and support the Wampanoag Nation.
For any questions please contact ann.richard@gmail.com 508-287-2831.
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