All articles tagged with #land acknowledgment
At the Obama Presidential Center's opening, organizers began with a land acknowledgment about stolen land—a move that drew online backlash—before a Native American dance performance in the plaza, with placards and a past Obama quote acknowledging Indigenous peoples and treaties.
During the Obama Presidential Center's opening weekend in Chicago, a Native American dance troupe performed after officials faced backlash over a widely mocked land acknowledgment; the event included a drum circle and a placard recognizing Indigenous peoples, drawing mixed reactions as some critics called the acknowledgment performative while others saw it as a cultural tribute.
At the Juneteenth opening, the Obama Presidential Center unveiled a permanent Indigenous land acknowledgment near its museum tower, highlighting Native ties to the land; the project sits on 19.3 acres of Jackson Park transferred from the city for $10 after years of lawsuits, fueling ongoing debate over public-land use, funding, and whether the center operates as a private foundation rather than a traditional presidential library.
FIFA kicked off the World Cup in Los Angeles with a pregame land acknowledgment honoring California’s Native tribes, while POLITICO’s live updates also track related developments: Canada’s ban on a player for security reasons, a GOP push to extend Section 702 of FISA, investigations into FIFA ticket pricing, and broader US‑Mexico‑Canada political dynamics surrounding the tournament.
Land acknowledgments, which recognize indigenous communities' rights to territories seized by colonial powers, have become increasingly common nationwide. While some indigenous leaders and activists say they are a waste of time, others are working to make the well-meaning but often empty speeches more useful. Land acknowledgments can provide a first step toward action, such as soliciting support for indigenous community gardens or paying a voluntary land tax. However, they can also feel disempowering and performative if not accompanied by concrete actions to uphold indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.