Integrating Land and Labor Acknowledgments Into Your Workplace

Gone are the days of blindly celebrating Christopher Columbus as the discoverer of our country and the pilgrims as its first inhabitants. The grand stories we tell of the power of the United States are now being augmented with acknowledgments of the realities of the slave labor that built it.

As our understanding of our history and current culture evolve, so does the way we do things both socially and at work. Enter land acknowledgments and labor acknowledgments. These are two popular ways to express the true history of the United States and what underlies everything from the land to the buildings to the systems we enjoy today.

Never heard of land acknowledgments or labor acknowledgments? Perhaps you’ve heard of the concepts but aren’t quite sure how to put them into action. Here’s a guide to integrating land and labor acknowledgments into your workplace.

What are land acknowledgments?

As Northwestern University explains, land acknowledgments are formal and informal statements that recognize and respect indigenous people as the true stewards of the land currently understood as the United States.

Land acknowledgments can simply state that wherever you are specifically—whether at school, work, or home—is native land. It’s a best practice to be specific about which tribe’s land you’re actually on. Indigenous people are not a monolith. For example, if your company’s office is in Minneapolis, it would be on Dakhóta (Dakota) land.

Land acknowledgments not only offer an honest portrayal of any location’s history, but it’s also a small but meaningful way to stand in solidarity with the native communities.

The process of colonizing the United States usurped indigenous people’s homes, cultures, and lives. As Northwestern University explains, “a land acknowledgment is a way of honoring the indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immortal.”

As the non-profit LSPIRG explains, land acknowledgments can also be an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose land we’re currently on. They’re an important acknowledgment of our place in the long-standing and wrought history that brought us here.

Perhaps one of the most important parts of land acknowledgments is this: they should not be worded in the past tense or merely in a historical context. As Northwestern adds, “colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is also Indigenous protocol.”

What are labor acknowledgments?

Labor acknowledgments are created in the same vein as land acknowledgments. However, they are markedly different in the subject matter.

As Fitchburg State University explains, “a labor acknowledgment is a statement that recognizes that much of the economic progress and development in a geographic area or industry resulted from the unpaid labor and forced servitude of people of color, specifically enslaved African labor.”

A labor acknowledgment is designed to recognize not only our historical reality but also the present-day manifestations of it as our country continues to struggle with racial and social justice and equity.

Just as land acknowledgments concede the reality that we wouldn’t be where we are today without the stewardship of indigenous peoples, labor acknowledgments are designed to draw attention to how we got to where we are today. In the United States, many of the (office) buildings we inhabit—and many government buildings in particular—wouldn’t exist without slave labor. The economic success the United States enjoys today is largely thanks to slave labor.

A labor acknowledgment is designed to recognize not only our historical reality but also the present-day manifestations of it as our country continues to struggle with racial and social justice and equity.

Why is integrating land and labor acknowledgments important?

As Terah ‘TJ’ Stewart writes of labor acknowledgments in Diverse Issues In Higher Education, “for conferences and meetings, this practice has become essential and powerful. Not only have enslaved Africans labored on the lands where many hotels exist, but in many cities, Black Americans continue to serve as:

• Housekeepers/janitors/custodians
• Kitchen staff
• Other service roles that often go unnoticed and uncompensated in ways they deserve.”

It’s also important, as he explains, to think expansively about labor. This is about more than just slave labor. Essential labor of all kinds still goes unnoticed, unappreciated, and uncompensated in the United States and worldwide. Stewart mentions thinking about the ways that the pandemic has made labor much more difficult for so many. He goes on to mention the emotional and physical labor of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.

Individual workplaces are a fruitful place to start questioning these things and treating labor differently.

Taking an honest look at our history

Chances are the building your company resides in has a history with slave labor. It certainly rests on stolen indigenous land. Acknowledgments aren’t a solution in and of themselves, but they’re an essential process that serves as a critical reminder.

By reminding ourselves of the atrocities that have occurred, we’re reminded that what we enjoy today came at (and comes at) a steep cost for others. That cost has yet to be adequately repaid. When issues of racial injustice arise, acknowledgments remind us that the problem is all of ours to bear.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian puts it this way: “Making a land acknowledgment should be motivated by genuine respect and support for native peoples. Speaking and hearing words of recognition is an important step in creating collaborative, accountable, continuous, and respectful relationships with Indigenous nations and communities.”

The same goes for communities of color.

• Perhaps one of the best things about acknowledgments is that they can inspire other changes.
• Maybe the modern manifestations of undervalued labor have taken on new concern for you as a leader, thanks to acknowledgments.
• Do you wonder if it’s time to invest in the mental health benefits you’ve been meaning to beef up since the pandemic?
• Is it possible that it’s time to offer paid maternity and paternity leave or extend the amount of time you currently provide?

Speaking and hearing words of recognition is an important step in creating collaborative, accountable, continuous, and respectful relationships with Indigenous nations and communities.

There are all kinds of ways to turn acknowledgments into action.

How to integrate land and labor acknowledgments into your workplace

As High Country News explains, “land acknowledgments can range from perfunctory to profoundly moving, and when they are poorly worded or produced in certain contexts, they can cause uncomfortable cognitive dissonance for Indigenous people. So, it’s important to do them correctly.”

When people reach out to them to help with land acknowledgments, the National Museum of the American Indian notes that they suggest working with those who were forcibly removed from the area. The:

• Local tribes
• Indigenous communities
• Native Nations

Ask them how they’d like to be acknowledged. It’s your best course of action. The best part of this is that it’s simple—all you have to do is:

• Ask
• Listen
• Follow what they say

You can take a similar approach to labor acknowledgments. Work with local groups, to understand the best way to craft a labor acknowledgment for your unique business and its location. Local historical societies can provide insight. If you’re stuck on where to start, Terah ‘TJ’ Stewart offers an example labor acknowledgment in his piece in Diverse Issues In Higher Education.

Boiling land and labor acknowledgments down to the basics

Intention is important, but when it comes to integrating land and labor acknowledgments into your workplace. It’s essential to get them right. Take the time to do so. Consult with the right groups and take their advice to heart.

As Stewart explains, “the bottom line is this: If we cannot collectively acknowledge the historical labor that has allowed our society to get and be where it is today, then we will continue to struggle to reconcile and redress those histories and legacies.”