MLA Annual Conference 2026 Beyond Buzzwords

Land Acknowledgment Statement for Annual Conference in Novi

As those in the library profession gather to learn and work together, we wish to recognize the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe people, specifically the Potawatomi people of the Three Fires Confederacy, and the enduring presence of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe).

We recognize that the lands around Kalamazoo lie within the ceded territory of the Anishinaabe peoples: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. And today we honor the enduring relationship between the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi and the Kalamazoo region.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation, and also a way of honoring the elders and native inhabitants, both past and present, who have lived and worked on the land - beyond memory or recall. We recognize the painful history of genocide, displacement, migration and settlement that brings us together.

MLA is dedicated to improving community relationships and making our organization a more supportive and inclusive place for Native and Indigenous voices and perspectives. We encourage everyone to learn the histories of this land, to look at who has and does not have access to its resources, and to examine your own place, abilities, and obligations within this process of reparative work that is necessary to promote a more equitable and socially just world.

To show our commitment, MLA has added Indigenous resources and the history of this region on our event website and will provide a small donation to the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe).

Through these small actions, MLA will continue to recognize and support the sovereignty of Michigan’s Indian nations and Indigenous Peoples when we gather to learn and work together.