Acknowledging the Land on Which We Build

I’d like to acknowledge that we are on stolen land.

I’d like to acknowledge that we are on borrowed land.

I’d like to acknowledge that we are on pickpocketed land.

I’d like to acknowledge that we are on empty land.

I’d like to acknowledge that we are on full land.

— Excerpt from Clint Burnham’s ‘No Poems on Stolen Native Land’

As we at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing continue to expand our footprint, we also acknowledge the history of the land we build on. We acknowledge the people. As Clint Burnham points out in No Poems on Stolen Native Land, the acknowledgments can be endless, meaningless if routine or protocol alone. The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing takes the following steps in active acknowledgement of the Piscataway Tribe:

To show a lasting acknowledgement of the land, the new Courtyard will display a plaque stating:

“The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing respectfully acknowledges and give thanks to the Piscataway Tribe—the Indigenous people who are traditional owners of the lands of the Chesapeake Bay region. We also acknowledge all Indigenous Peoples, the traditional owners of the lands and waters of the United States of America.”

To continue to bring our attention to the origins of this land, we will give the following opening at events:

“I respectfully acknowledge and give thanks to the Piscataway Tribe—the Indigenous people who are traditional owners of the lands of the Chesapeake Bay region. I also acknowledge all Indigenous Peoples, the traditional owners of the lands and waters of the United States of America.”

Let these acknowledgments serve as active recognition of where we are and the work that remains.

Original blog entry by Assistant Professor Teresa Brockie, Senior Research Program Coordinator Ellie Decker, and Professor Sarah Szanton.

Building Update

Just a few months after the Fall 2020 semester begins, the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife will close with the Grand Opening of the new wing at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, pending any delays brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. The safety of construction workers, students, faculty, staff, and any visitors to the school remains the utmost priority.

Keep tabs on the project’s final stages: building4jhunursing.org