Pasadena City College is a learning community within the indigenous homelands of people who have been known as the Gabrielieño Band of Mission Indians of the Sisitcanongna [pronounced "Shesh-i-i-kuan-ga") Village and Kizh Nation. Tonight we acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this land on which we gather.

We also honor the legacy of the African diaspora and recognize that the United States as we know it was built at the often-fatal expense of forcefully enslaved Black people. We are indebted to their labor and the labor of many Black and Brown bodies that continue to work in the shadows for our collective benefit.

PCC and its faculty, staff, and students recognize that we are all simultaneously teachers, learners, and guests on these lands. This acknowledgment is a small part of an ongoing process of working to raise awareness about histories that are too often erased or forgotten, to recognize our place in this history, and to affirm our commitment to social justice, systemic change, and anti-racism.

Why Land Acknowledgements are Important