Acknowledgements
Land Acknowledgement
Mt. San Antonio College acknowledges and recognizes that the land in which we occupy is the unceded ancestral territory of the Gabrielino-Shoshone, Gabrielino-Tongva, and Gabrielino-Kizh nations, the Indigenous peoples of this region since time immemorial. Mt. San Antonio College is located near the Gabrielino village of Pemookangna, known today as the city of Walnut.
We recognize the Gabrielino people have suffered an immense loss of their people, culture, lands, water, and other natural resources due to the theft, murder, kidnapping, and enslavement. These injustices started with colonization, and most Indigenous people consider colonization a current and ongoing process.
Despite the atrocities and injustices committed against the original caretakers of this land, the Gabrielino remain to be a thriving community and continue to practice their traditions, heritage, sovereignty, self-determination, and spiritual relationship to their land. The nations that make up theGabrielino community continue to work to protect their sacred ways and homelands for future generations. Their descendants are a testament to the resilience and strength of the indigenous peoples that call this land their ancestral home.
The Gabrielino view this land as a source of healing, nourishment, and protection. As students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Mt. San Antonio College, we honor the Gabrielino people by acknowledging their legacy and current lived experiences.
We recognize this land acknowledgement as an opportunity for Mt. SAC to advocate for Indigenous students through support of the First Peoples Native Center and continued learning and shared knowledge for Native American and Indigenous peoples.
Labor Acknowledgement
We must acknowledge the unaddressed legacy of stolen labor at the foundation of this country. Much of what we know of this nation today, including its culture, economic growth, and development throughout history, has been made possible by the labor of enslaved Africans and their descendants who suffered the atrocities of human trafficking, enslavement, Jim Crow laws, and a wide variety of racist economic policies. We pay respects to Black life, knowledge, and skills stolen due to the violence and white supremacy of a nation that refused to recognize their humanity.
Additionally, we acknowledge our collective debt to all those whose labor has been forced and exploited, including those who migrated to this country seeking a better future. We acknowledge that the theft of labor is the theft of inter-generational economic progress, and we must commit ourselves to redressing the legacies of this violence. Today, we honor these communities. We are indebted to their labor and sacrifice.
Student Acknowledgement
Thank you to Mecha de Mt. SAC, Mechistas, Alejandro Juarez and Fabian Pavon, and other student activists who in 2016, and after, took the bold steps to push our community for the development of an Ethnic Studies department and other student-centered resources at Mt. San Antonio College. The fruit of your labor is here, and with the passage of California Bill AB1460, we are excited to develop this department in a way that honors our students' resistance, histories, heritage, voices, experiences, and cultural identities.
