Land Acknowledgement
We are visiting the traditional homelands of the Piscataway, “the people where the rivers blend.” We honor their stewardship of the land for thousands of years and acknowledge the gradual loss of their land to colonial settlers and broken contracts from colonial governments. Let this acknowledgement be a call to commit ourselves to speaking the truth about our nation’s history and the first step towards healing and reconciliation.
Read more information about the history and contemporary life of DC’s indigenous population and the National Museum of American Indian’s Native Knowledge 360˚ page, We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region.
People Acknowledgements
This course would not have been possible without the generous support and participation of the following individuals, in addition to those sites and staff listed on the Site Visits and Performances page (in no particular order; if you notice any errors, including people we may have inadvertently missed, on this page, please let us know!)
Jeanne Narum (Principal of Learning Spaces Collaboratory and St. Olaf alumna), who first proposed a course like this one to St. Olaf College.
Louis (left), Jeanne (center), Alyssa (right)
Irve Dell, Assistant Dean of Fine Arts, St. Olaf College
Jodi Malmgren, Director, International and Off-Campus Studies, St. Olaf College
Travis Talvitie, Democratic Deputy Staff Director, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Dustin Brandenburg, Democratic Director of Operations, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Alyssa’s husband Jake and kids Adela, Henrik, and Louisa; and Louis’s wife Maggie and kids Rahm and Clio, for graciously holding down the home fort while we and the students embarked on this life-changing adventure.
Finally, we want to acknowledge our intrepid students, who have worked so hard and who approach every day with enthusiasm, patience, and grace. Alyssa and Louis may have designed and led the course, but the students made it a successful exercise in civic engagement and experiential learning.