Land Acknowledgement and Solidarity Statement

Land Acknowledgement and Solidarity Statement

Land Acknowledgement

The Department of Imaginary Affairs is situated on the land and waterways of the Mississaugas of the Credit, who are part of the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Wyandot, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Six Nations, and many other Nations—recorded and unrecorded—covered by the Williams Treaties. This territory has known human activity for thousands of years, long before it was ever called Canada.

We also recognize the contributions and experiences of people of African descent, particularly those forcibly brought to this land through the transatlantic slave trade.

This territory exists within the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant—an agreement created pre-European contact between the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee nations to emphasize living in peaceful coexistence with all people, the land, and the resources. At its heart is the image of a single dish holding all the bounty, and one spoon to draw from it. The agreement asks that everyone take only what they need, always ensuring something is left for those who follow.

This covenant remains in effect. We are all responsible to live by these terms.

Many Indigenous Peoples refer to North America as Turtle Island. The story of Turtle Island is one of identity, belonging, origin, and being connected to the land we live on. In this narrative, the world was once entirely flooded. While many animals tried—stronger and braver animals—it was Muskrat who dove to the bottom of the great sea and gave their life for a single bit of mud. It was Turtle who offered their back for the land to be formed.

As an organization deeply invested in dismantling systems of oppression, we are committed to deepening our understanding of the histories of this land, the lands we are from, and how we can show up in alignment with our ancestors and future generations.

We recognize the humility required to examine our conditioning and to not shy away from feelings of guilt, shame, and discomfort that pull us back toward the status quo. In our work of understanding our roles and responsibilities as caretakers of the land, we work to recognize the ways we have been colonized—and can therefore be decolonized.

“Decolonization is not a label that can be attached to pre-existing social justice strategies in the hope of absolving non-Indigenous organizers of guilt.”
 — Dismantling Colonialism, Building Understanding, Mosaic Institute

We see each land acknowledgement as an invitation—to reflect on where we are in our own journeys toward reconciliation and to demonstrate our commitment to being the change we want to see.

This is ongoing and active practice, not performance.

Solidarity Statement

In our pursuit of equitable futures, we hold the tension between the idealism of what we want to exist in the world and where we are today.

We imagine futures where nobody is given more love, or is at greater risk of harm, based on the color of their skin, where they are from, what language they speak, what religious beliefs they hold, who they love, how they look, or how they navigate the world.

“No one is free until everybody’s free.” — Fannie Lou Hamer

We know this is not the world we live in today.

We recognize that saying we stand in solidarity with others is not the same as actually doing the work to dismantle the systems of oppression that strengthen and reinforce inequities.

We understand the deep responsibility of being in good relations—especially with Black and Indigenous communities—requires trust, patience, reciprocity, and humility.

“Solidarity is an uneasy, reserved, and unsettled matter that neither reconciles present grievances nor forecloses future conflict.”
 — Decolonization is not a Metaphor, E. Tuck & K.W. Yang

Our Commitment

Through this solidarity statement, we commit to recognizing how we show up as individuals and as an organization in the work of imagining equitable futures. We dedicate a portion of our resources to continuously learning, unlearning, and relearning what it means to strive for equity.

We challenge our colonial conditioning to perform perfectionism in the work of solidarity. We practice releasing ourselves from the characteristics of white supremacy that harm us all.

We choose to be in solidarity and resistance with Indigenous and Black communities—not just in words, but in action, resources, and how we navigate the complexity of this work.

In the past year, we have continued to navigate our ongoing and ever-evolving stories about how we show up, especially in ways that challenge the status quo and may put us in destabilizing positions.

This is especially true when so many see collective liberation as a threat to existing systems of power and privilege.

So we have a choice to make on how we show up.

We choose solidarity. We choose resistance. We choose to keep practicing, even when it’s uncomfortable, risky, or scary.

What This Means in Practice

  • We tell the truth about colonization’s ongoing harms and our complicity in them
  • We weave together our personal responsibilities with the systemic patterns that shape this work
  • We hold contradictions: gratitude for being on this land and grief for how we came to be here; urgency to act and patience to build trust; commitment to outcomes and acceptance that we may never see them
  • We practice curiosity about our own conditioning, resistance, and the ways we can show up differently

We honour and acknowledge the endurance required to stand up for what we believe in and to chart a path toward equitable futures. We encourage and invite our peers within the nonprofit sector to do the same.

This is ongoing work. We reflect on it regularly on our blog at #thisisimaginationatwork.