The San Juan Unified School District will require native land acknowledgements be read at district events after the school board approved one in a recent resolution.
The Oct. 22 resolution mandates that the statement be read at three yearly board meetings and high school graduations. Land acknowledgement statements will also be printed on certain district materials such as school board agendas.
“(The district) acknowledges that our schools are located on the ancestral lands of the Nisenan and Miwok peoples, who continue to care for this land as they have since time immemorial,” the new land acknowledgement reads. “As we advance in our commitment to equity and inclusion, we pledge to strengthen our connections by fostering a culture of understanding, respect, and active collaboration with their communities.”
SJUSD’s new American Indian Education parent advisory committee has been guiding district leaders on the best actions to take to support Native American students and uplift the community. The committee is composed of parents, students and teachers selected by the district’s roughly 600 Native students and families.
The language for the land acknowledgement was developed “collaboratively in partnership with local tribes” and the advisory committee, district spokesperson Raj Rai said.
The California Native Vote Project, the main proponent of the resolution, said that opponents “misunderstand its purpose” and that “misinformation is spreading.”
“Recognizing the Indigenous peoples of this land is an important step toward promoting respect, awareness, and education within our community,” the organization said in a letter. “A land acknowledgment honors the history and presence of Native communities, both past and present, whose land San Juan Unified School District operates on.”
Parents Defending Education, a conservative education group, criticized the land acknowledgement as “a form of virtue signaling.” They did not respond to requests for further comment.
The SJUSD resolution comes amid increasing efforts by schools to better represent Native communities and students.
Elk Grove Unified and Folsom Cordova Unified already have developed land acknowledgements.
Last year, Sacramento City Unified School District renamed Sutter Middle School to Miwok Middle, erasing the moniker of the Sutter’s Fort founder who enslaved hundreds of Native Americans. Peter Burnett Elementary became Suy:u Elementary (Miwok for “hawk”) while Kit Carson International Academy became Umoja International Academy (the Kwanzaa principle of unity) to honor the contributions of the African American community.
Sacramento City Unified last year designated November as Native American Heritage Month, following the national designation.
There are about 18,000 Native American residents in Sacramento, according to the U.S. Census.
The San Juan Unified land acknowledgement resolution was also passed the same week that president Joe Biden issued a formal apology on behalf of the federal government for decades of forced attendance at boarding schools by Native students.
