The Land On Which We Work

SPEAKEASY’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

SpeakEasy Stage Company is built on the power of storytelling and the transformative way the arts can be used to amplify voices of those historically silenced. In that spirit, we would like to acknowledge that SpeakEasy Stage and the Calderwood Pavilion, which we call our artistic home, reside on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Massachusett people, whose name was appropriated by this Commonwealth. We pay respect to the Massachusett elders past and present and recognize the truth of violence perpetrated in the name of this country. We commit to educating ourselves about the stories of indigenous people and to uplift the voices of those who have been left out of the conversation. We encourage you to learn more about the Massachusett people, their history and their living traditions at massachusetttribe.org.

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WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?

A land acknowledgement is a formal statement of recognition that we are operating on and benefiting directly from land that rightfully belongs to Indigenous communities, taken without consent. The purpose of recognizing the original inhabitants of this land is to show respect, gratitude, and appreciation; to raise awareness of a history that is often erased; and to express support of and participation in efforts to dismantle the white supremacy and colonization present today.

To further illustrate the importance of land acknowledgements, we would like to share this quote from Northwestern University:

“It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation.”

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Native Land Digital: https://native-land.ca/about/

• Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag Tribal Webpage: http://massachusetttribe.org/

• Native Governance Center: https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/
  
  
• More information from Northwestern University: https://www.northwestern.edu/native-american-and-indigenous-
  peoples/about/Land%20Acknowledgement.html