Require schools to do Land Acknowledgments and teach Native American history

Require schools to do Land Acknowledgments and teach Native American history

Started
February 23, 2021
Petition to
Signatures: 2,894Next Goal: 5,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Anushka Saxena

Hello, my name is Anushka Saxena. As a non- indigenous person, I got interested in learning more about the beautiful culture of Native people after watching an eye opening documentary and talking with Native people. I believe there is so much to learn from and about Indigenous communities, and I created this petition because I believe that it is important to recognize Indigenous culture and history in schools. Doing Land Acknowledgments is a quick and simple way to recognize the tribes whose land you are living on, especially because every single one of us lives on Indigenous land. Changing the curriculum to teach Native American history is also extremely important because it is vital that students learn about the past of the country they reside on.

Indigenous people were forced to move from their ancestral homelands and it has caused a lot of pain and grief in their community. Thousands of Indigenous children were forced to attend boarding schools where their culture and traditions were stripped from them. They were forbidden to speak their Native languages and were severely punished if they did. Their long hair, a source of pride for many Natives, was cut, and they were forced to discard their traditional outfits in turn for European clothing. Unfortunately, according to Illuminatives.org, 87% of schools fail to cover Indigenous history since time immemorial, so not enough people are aware of this topic. 


I would like to note that Land Acknowledgments can look very different depending on what the local tribe would like to see done. However, you can read about what Land Acknowledgments can look like here: https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/ 

Why are Land Acknowledgments important?

Land Acknowledgments are important to do because colonialism and oppression are not just in the past, but a current and ongoing process. Not everything from the past can be undone, but there are still many things that we can do in the present to raise awareness about Indigenous culture and help people understand that Indigenous people are still very much here. Many people do not know about the history of the Indigenous people whose land they live on and it is time that we change that. 

Please sign this petition today to support Indigenous recognition!

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Signatures: 2,894Next Goal: 5,000
Support now
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